Freakin' Angel Discovers Harmful Effects of Social Media

You know how sensitive I am. In fact, I'm pretty sure I've started at least one blog post with those very words. Maybe more than one. So for part 2 in a series of "Pity Party Posts" we're going to address the harmful effects of social media on self-esteem.

You probably know I've been obsessed immersed in this social media thing for a while now. I'd say I'm majoring in Facebook with a minor in blogging and a certificate in Twitter. No one, meaning me, was getting hurt in my foray into the big bad world of cyberspace. I hadn't even withheld intimate relations punished my husband for having a couple hundred more Facebook friends than me.

But as you've heard a few million times now, that darn social media marketing course came along and changed everything. When I learned you have to read others' blogs in order to find new readers for your own, I started reading this Scary Mommy blog. Scary mommies seem to fit my style. And that's when it hit me. Social media is just another way to feel badly about yourself.

I recently read one post Scary Mommy wrote about 80s sequels. It elicited 101 comments, 16 tweets, and 65 likes. She proudly notes on her site that she's been seen in Parenting, CNN, MSNBC, Redbook, Baltimore Magazine, The New York Times and Ms. Freakin' Angels, on the other hand, has been mentioned nowhere other than in front of my aunts at the diner for breakfast. On a good day I get three comments, 6 likes, and no tweets.  

Damn. It's high school all over again.Wondering if anyone will vote for you for homecoming queen, ask you to a movie, invite you to their party, or sign your yearbook. Waiting in the shadows for someone to friend you. Or like you. Or invite you to join their group.

Today we wait to be Friended or Liked (Facebook), Followed, Retweeted or Mentioned (Twitter), Invited (LinkedIn) and Followed or Commented on (blogs). There are entire sites dedicated to helping you find out how popular you are. You can check out SocialMention.com, co.mments.com, Google Alerts, Twilert, and Google Page Rank, or search bookmarking sites like digg, reddit, delicious and Technorati for mentions of your name. For the record, I show up nowhere.

I'm fairly certain there will be an entirely new branch of psychotherapy to deal with people traumatized by social media.

In an effort to protect me from the harmful effects of social media and the expensive therapy bills I foresee in my future, how about both of you you do the following for this post:

• Comment on it
• Like it
• Tweet it
• Bookmark it

And if you're not already, please join as a Freakin' Angel follower. And follow me on Twitter @freakinangel. And be my friend. And invite me to dinner. And your parties. And to the prom. Thanks a million.