I’m 45 and just coming to terms with the fact that social media might as well be embraced since it’s not going anywhere and knowing it better, will help me in my career! BUT I come by my lack of interest in getting on board to social media platforms honestly. My parents have ZERO interest in the whole concept of sharing your personal life, including thoughts, pictures, and personal details out into the world wide web – true social media haters. When we talk, the social media conversation is tabled along with religion, politics, and racism – essentially, topics that can get awkward discussing at the family dinner table.
Dinner Table
Have you ever had Christmas dinner with your entire family and someone brings up politics?! The whole room goes quiet other than the one person so close to the person who brought it up that they have nothing to lose in engaging in this conversation – that’s me at home when I bring up social media! I’m the youngest in my family other than my kids and when I bring up social media I get nothing but static or a hashing of negative comments about how I’m posting our personal life for all to see. Not sure how a post about my husband and I’s anniversary has anything to do with “their” personal life, but apparently it does! lol
The Sad Truth
The true story is that it’s hard. It seems like my life and my career all revolve around social media. I have 2 young teenagers who’s school and personal lives definitely include social media. My job could absolutely benefit from me knowing more about social media, hence why i’m taking this course. Yet, I still can’t discuss social media with my parents because they’ve taken a strong belief in hating it. Why? Because they can! They’re retired. They don’t have kids in elementary and high school. They don’t have bosses asking if they’ve posted a Family Day Instagram add for the business today, which I did. 😉
“Older adults themselves are often the worst perpetuators of the myth that old age precludes engagement with a myriad of digital technologies. Doing so allows older adults a privilege not available to most working-age adults to take personal stands against the aspects of technology they find worrying, threatening or just plain annoying.” (Lancaster University, para. 13)
Do you have people in your life that you can’t talk social media with? Do you find it hard? Let me know in the comments below as I’d love to hear how you handle this!
Do you have social media haters in your family? Read up on my story and tell me yours in return! https://bit.ly/3IF8JnZ
Are you unable to talk to your parents about social media? Me neither, lets share stories! https://bit.ly/3IF8JnZ
References
Lancaster University. (2018, March 12). Why some older people are rejecting digital technologies. ScienceDaily. http://bit.ly/3xBq62q.
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 
I can totally relate to your parents, as I am probably closer to their age than yours. I get the too much sharing perspective. I can remember when my daughter’s friend was posting what she ate for breakfast everyday- I truly thought it was madness- why would anybody care? I do not do social media and your quote interested me- I never considered it a privilege to choose not to engage. However, I do think it is an interesting perspective worth considering.
Really nice for me as a 22 yr old to learn of a different experience of actually having to learn social media kind of late to the game. I was sadly but thankfully raised into social medias birth and have been an avid media consumer most of my life. Nice perspective and I’m glad you chose to embrace the changing cultures in business rather than reject it.
I find myself in a similar situation. Although I am a 18 year old, I find myself asking my parents if they saw a family friends post on social media then have to remind myself they are simply “against” social media. Yes, it has caused many long conversations in our household but they’ve all become educational and I’ve learned from them. Making your social media account private and only allowing those you know follow it….that’s me!