I am a child of a new-media generation so naturally I have embraced all that social media has to offer; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest and Linkedin are all on my social radar, plus a few others.

Until recently I hadn’t realised how much of my time these social services where taking or even how many I was using; not to mention the pressure I was putting on myself trying to maintain them. This made me ponder about all the recent talk of social fatigue and the various cases of depression and addiction reported by the media.

So let’s break it down and look at each problem in isolation:

Social fatigue

This is the feeling of being totally overwhelmed with the amount of information you are receiving through your accounts, combined with the commitment you have made to update your own.

Social addiction & depression

This is a little harder to pin down as a problem, but I think most social network users would admit a certain level of addictive behaviour when using social media (I know I do). Recent studies have also shown links between Internet addiction and depression, although which comes first is uncertain. The main cause of social depression though seems to be the following of other peoples lives and the inevitable comparisons that we make between ourselves and of those that we follow.

I can see how these two conditions have entered our lives in this social revolution and why some are suffering more than others; now I am no medical professional, but from my own social media experiences I know there are things that we need to be aware of and things that we can do. Here are my suggestion of how to get the most out of social networks without reaching your natural limits:

Limit your social platforms

I have had to do some cutting back myself, I am a registered user for all the networks mentioned in the opening of this article; but I now only use three regularly, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are now my chosen networks. By all means try out all social networks but only focus on a few, this will naturally lighten the load.

Remember, everything is not what it seems

I follow a lot of people on my Twitter network, and they all seem to be having an amazing time, articulate and happy, living in sunny places with perfect families! Now, this is great and I am happy for anyone who is living life to the full; but I know how easy it is to compare your life to theirs, just remember one thing, the people you follow are only showing you one side of their life! ?Most people don’t air their dirty laundry online so we get a skewed perspective, remember, everyone has bad days and negative things happen to everyone, some just choose not to broadcast it.

Have a day off

This is easy, just have a break, whether it is the weekend or a random day in the week! This will allow you to refocus on the important things in life and to be social in the real world.

This is a new world and the full impact of our digitally connected lives is still yet to unfold. Just keep it all in perspective and make sure the balance between the digital and real world is equal.

Over the years I have encountered a number of bad practices with website design and content,  usually these are requests by clients who are trying to squeeze every last penny out of their website, but sometimes it is web designers who are creating a project for themselves rather than the end user.  I understand that sometimes it is impossible to always keep to your standards while keeping your client happy, so here are a few tips to aid you in the design and build process.

Do keep your website functional

Since the birth of the Internet web designers have always felt the need to over complicate the aesthetic of websites.  During the early years web designers seemed hell bent on overloading websites with gif and flash animations while not spending any time thinking about the structure of the pages and the framework of the site.

When creating any site think about what you want to achieve with the design and the content.  A site should be intuitive by nature, adding animation may just distract and confuse; think about the content and structure, it isn’t the trendy parts of the site that will make it a success but the quality of what the user finds that will make any website work.

Don’t assume you know everything

As a designer it pays to be open to new ideas and opinions, be careful not to run with an idea just because you think it will work brilliantly or look great.  Spending a large amount of time on a job can mean that you become too close to the project.  I’m not saying don’t trust yourself, just be sure to get as much opinion as possible.

Do think about the user

After building your pages spend some time testing the site, look at it from a neutral perspective.  Things like links opening in new windows or pages with limited or useless content can be very frustrating for an end user, keep any site as self contained and as complete as possible that way the user will trust you and your content.

Testing a site yourself should be a standard part of any project, however, getting others to test can be equally helpful and informative, alternate opinion can help you realise issues you didn’t see during the early stages of design and build, which in turn will help give a more complete end user experience.

Don’t compromise on design

Remember you are the designer and with knowledge and experience you should be able to confidently advise.  Content should be clean and clear online, allow content to frame itself and avoid unsightly borders, also try and spread content evenly over more than one page rather than cramming it all into an unrealistic area.

Always make a design whether personal or commercial unique, avoid passing trends as this can make the site date too quickly and will only bring the need for a re-design forward.  If you create the site for the client in a fresh style that suits their brand you will be more likely to please from the outset.

Summary

You are a designer, so explore all possibilities, listen to those around you, keep things unique but most of all don’t assume you know everything.