Scrolling through Facebook and Instagram can be both entertaining and frustrating. Aside from the current political frenzy, another frustrating aspect of social media is advertising. Not the kind that automatically pops up on your feed, but the kind from people you know in real life. You know what I'm talking about- Plexus, LuLaRoe, Jamberry, etc. Increasingly over the last few years my news feed has become full of pictures, online parties, and package deals for buying my friend's products. It's gotten to the point that I can't scroll through Facebook for more than a minute without seeing a post that says "You have got to try this!" or a testimonial from a happy customer.
The premise of selling products on social platforms is simple and smart- it reaches a wide range of people, and unless they un-follow you, they don't have a choice but to see your posts.
But here's the problem. People on social media don't want to read things they aren't interested in. Reading lot of angry posts about the election and then seeing what feels like the millionth picture of a product your friend is trying to sell somehow creates more frustration than desire to purchase what's being sold. At least weekly I hear friends and family moan when they see yet another post- like the fact that it's sold online immediately makes the product repulsive. This feeling has described me many times, and probably could describe you too.
Why is this the case though?
One problem is that it's not fun to have our space intruded on with things we don't want to hear. Social media acts for some as a space that we fine tune to our personal preferences. We want to see posts about our friend's lives, not what they want to sell.
While I understand this, I think it does more harm than good to get stuck in annoyance over products advertised on your feed. No, you might not be interested in every product that gets put in front of you, but that doesn't mean they're bad. Some of the products might be of some use if time to slow down and consider the positive options was taken. And if nothing else, it doesn't hurt to support your friends by simply liking one of their posts from time to time. Many of the people selling those products are stay at home parents, who are excited about working for a company that gives them flexibility and some extra income. When viewed in that light, the advertisements become less of a nuisance and more of a reason to be proud of people you know who are finding ways to be passionate about work in the midst of their busy lives.
