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.

Firstly, what is a privacy policy? In simple terms it tells you how a website is using the data they collect about you and who has access to it.

Most large websites will have a link to a privacy policy but as global law on this improves we should start seeing more of these as standard.

So now you know what a privacy policy is, but did you know that all the online giants such as Facebook, Twitter and Google are in the big business of collecting and monetising their user’s data. Even in the last few days Google has announced that it is changing and more importantly simplifying its privacy policy so that it can share data across it’s giant network more easily.

If this is news to you then you need to know that Google and many other website vendors have been collecting data on their users for years and using it to better their services, sell and target those same people with advertising. For instance when you create a Google search you are presented with a number of premium search results tailored to your criteria; and this is just one way Google is using that data.
But what does that mean to us, the users?

The short answer here is that Google is unifying the data collection and usage between its many free services, so in theory it won’t be collecting any more data than before, it will just use it to be more efficient between those services, which should mean better more effective services from Google that benefit us all.

The problem here though is that if you really don’t like having your data stored then the only 100% guaranteed safe option you have is to stop using Google’s array of services completely (Extreme I know!). Having said this the EU has ruled in the last week that Google’s new policy contravenes recent European legislation to protect users; so maybe things will change for the benefit of the us; either way though Google will still get some of your data.

So, Google will be collecting your data no matter how careful you are; and where there is user data there is usually advertising! I personally don’t like behavioral adverts, they are those clever little ads that know you have just been looking at holidays; and then send holiday advert to the other websites you visit, annoying yes but definitely appropriate; so I would certainly expect that with the shared data this will only become more accurate and hopefully more useful; if, a little intrusive.

I know it sounds like Google are the big bad monster trying to use your data for evil; but in my opinion we need to remember that Google allows you to search the internet with ease, receive email, store documents, socialise and navigate online for free, they are giving something to us that improves our lives and they still need to pay the bills, is it too much to ask for a little data driven advertising for totally free services? I think not, but I can certainly understand those who do!

If you still want to limit what Google do know about you then you can try and limit how much data you give, so run searches without signing into your Google account, or in your Google account preferences check the privacy settings for each service that you use until it suits you. If this still isn’t good enough then you’ll need to look for alternative that isn’t as aggressive with your data.

With the recent loss of Steve Jobs I felt I needed to write a little something to mark his passing; but with the eulogy that the Internet has become since his death I felt my words would simply be lost, or just not mean enough. A few days have passed and I felt now was a good time…

The thing is, that Steve, whether you liked him or not, had an attitude towards design, technology and life that changed the way the human race interact, communicate and learn with the devices around them. He was able to remove the technical boundaries from his mind and lead the creation of things that became extensions of ourselves, to make the way we create easier no matter what these creations needed to be; and that is why I think there has been such a reaction to his death.

Steve Jobs just knew what we wanted and gave his passion and eventually his whole life to make those needs a reality. Yes, there have been many visionaries before him, Bill Gates for instance has dominated the computer market with the Windows OS for nearly two decades, yet I don’t feel any empathy towards the man who created a system designed for those who had to have at least a basic knowledge of computers, and that is where Jobs differed.

Every piece of technology Apple has released in the last decade has not been made for geeks, they have been made for everyone! That is the genius of Apple and more accurately Steve himself, no matter who you are, what your knowledge, you should be able to use it, just like everyone can use a book or a pen.

And that is how I feel about Steve’s legacy, writing this on my iPad2, checking the responses to this on my iPhone and teaching my daughter how to use technology an her iMac – Thanks Steve