Unplugged and Unbothered

The other day I picked up my phone to scroll through social media and put it right back down about 12 seconds later. Not because something urgent came up, but because I genuinely didn't care about anything I saw. And the weird part? I wasn't even a little bothered by that.  Quite proud and relieved actually.

There was a time when social media felt necessary. Post the listing, share the update, engage with the followers, algorithm this, hashtag that. I get it (and I still do some of it) but somewhere along the way I started noticing that a lot of what I was looking at wasn't real. Not even close.  Is it real content?  Is that AI?  The lines are now forever blurred and entwined. 

What am I talking about?  How about those who wake up every morning and apparently cannot function without telling everyone how incredibly blessed and grateful and CRUSHING IT they are today. (blah, spare us all).  The ones who close a deal and somehow need four posts, two stories, and a reel about it.  Congrats (no one really cares). The ones whose entire personality has become their personal brand - and their personal brand is just... themselves, constantly, in HD. Congrats on the new Rolex, by the way. Very humble of you to share that seven times.  (although if you want to nerd out to watches I am down).  The irony of posting here is not lost  upon me, though.

I've written before about people in my industry claiming they spend "hundreds of thousands of dollars a month" in advertising, or taking credit for their entire office's production numbers. Social media is where that stuff lives and breathes. It's a highlight reel masquerading as real life, and the longer I've been on it, the more obvious that becomes. The fancy cars. The yachts. The "just another day in paradise" posts from someone who, last I checked, works in suburban Michigan. I don't buy it. And more importantly, I don't think most consumers do either.  This isn't HGTV and our job isn't Selling Sunset.  It's Michigan.  We are Michigan.

Here's the thing: authenticity doesn't need an algorithm. The clients I've worked with over nearly two decades didn't find me because of a perfectly timed Instagram post or because I boosted a reel. They found me because someone they trusted told them to call me. That's it. Word of mouth is the oldest form of social media, and it still wins.

I'm not saying delete everything and go live off the grid. But I am saying that the dopamine hit of likes and shares has worn off for me in a big way. I'd rather spend that 12 seconds calling a client to check in, sitting in the garden watching something grow or talking to my chickens, swinging a golf club or doing literally anything that feels authentic and real.

At the end of the day, I think a lot of us are quietly feeling this way but scrolling anyway out of habit, partly because we're bored, and partly because watching someone post their third "motivational Monday" of the week is at least mildly entertaining. So maybe put the phone down for a minute or thirty. See what happens. I think you might find, like I did, that the world keeps spinning just fine without you knowing what a stranger ate for lunch.  Take a moment to look about you.  Watch a squirrel plant acorns.  Watch a bee do their pollen dance.  Stop and literally smell the roses, or walk barefoot in the grass.  You'll be amazed at how liberating it feels.

Are you still all-in on social media, or are you starting to feel it too?