plugging in or missing out?

It’s easy to think of social media as a waste of time.

It’s a time-suck, a procrastination station, a way to get away. And by plugging in, you’re missing out.

But I don’t think the social story is quite that simple. After consciously observing my own social media habits for a day, I noticed something: I’m not missing out because of social, I’m using social because I’m already missing something.

There are four main times I check in on social during the typical day: when I wake up, when I eat lunch, when I’m riding the bus and when I’m winding down for the night.

My behaviors vary between those times. For example, I tend to create more content later in the day. Yesterday, I tweeted three times—all after 5pm. Am I more confident in the evening, or more energetic and in-tune? I’m not sure, but there’s definitely a pattern to my posts.

The platforms and devices I use also shift depending on the time of day and privacy of my location.

When I’m on the go, at school or work, I typically stick to mobile—generally Facebook and Twitter with the occasional Instagram. With a longer period of time on my hands, usually at home, I opt for my laptop and throw sites like Tumblr in the mix. My other non-primary platforms like Pinterest or LinkedIn might also come into play during those more private, long-term plug-ins.

That’s because, for me, switching between platforms is easier with my laptop. I’ll move back and forth between sites intuitively, just looking for something new or interesting. When on my phone, I’ll typically choose one app, catch up and am then done until the next check-in.

And, of course, real-time events affect my usage too. For anything from breaking news to the series finale of Parks & Rec, I go to Twitter first for immediate reactions and updates and Tumblr later for more in-depth responses.

But despite all these variations in habits and preferences, there’s one unifying motivation behind my social media use: I’m missing something.

When I wake up, I want to be up-to-date and informed on what’s happening (in the world and my personal social sphere), so I turn to Twitter and Facebook.

When I’m at lunch, I want to feel productive and connected, so I look for industry articles on Twitter, read an analysis of my favorite TV show on Tumblr or chat with my roommate on Facebook.

When I’m riding the bus, I want to keep my brain occupied and catch up on what I’ve missed with a quick Twitter check.

When I’m winding down at night, I want to laugh and cry and talk to my friends—with help from YouTube, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter…you name it.

Activity on social media isn’t meant to replace connecting. On the contrary, it’s because I want to connect that I’m on social media.

Finding the right balance is still a challenge, though. And sometimes, we all fall a little short: