I’m going to keep this short, because I want to you to be able to get back to what really matters – your work – as quickly as possible after consuming this concise, important message: Lawyers should use social media as little as possible, and the time they do spend on social networks should be very purposeful and intentional.
Here’s why:
First, social media platforms are engineered to be addictive. Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and other social media platforms grow and get paid based on how many people use their platforms and for how long. These companies compete in what’s called the “attention economy” and, as Seth Godin (who famously eschews most social media) explains, we are the products these companies sell. They round up our attention, and sell it to advertisers. Accordingly, it’s not surprising that social media platforms are engineered to be as addictive as possible. And it’s working. Facebook’s head of marketing recently discussed in a speech that the average millennial checks his or her phone 157 times daily. That’s insane, because…