I’ve been involved with multiple facets of social media for almost five years and I admit that sometimes, I’m over it.

What I’ve discovered is that, to do it right, the proportion of online to in-person time is seriously skewed toward solitude.

When I look up the word solitude on Dictionary.com, the definitions given are:

1. the state of being or living alone; seclusion: to enjoy one’s solitude.
2. remoteness from habitations, as of a place; absence of human activity: the solitude of the mountains.
3. a lonely, unfrequented place: a solitude in the mountains.

For me, a “people person,” #2 most closely resembles the solitude I  experience when I’m doing social media “the right way” (i.e., enough so that you increase followers, become recognized online  and efficiently raise awareness about whatever/whomever you’re promoting).

The other thing I realize is that the type of referrals that surface frequently through in-person encounters happen far more rarely online, unless social media is but the first step toward more personal engagement (phone call, skype, coffee, meeting, etc.).

As I think about social media, it does have its pluses.  I’m thankful to have  encountered many friends from around the world that I would probably not have “met” otherwise.  I’ve re-established long-lost friendships. I’ve bought books, music and training from people I know – not through their websites – but through social media. It’s clear that social media now functions as “a calling card”…an essential extension of our websites, our brands, our products and/or our personalities. A presence in social media can provide untold opportunities in unimaginable arenas, if used well.

It can also be a time suck, a device of solitary isolation, and it can provide an open view into intimate details of our lives, if we are not careful. (Don’t believe me? Watch this video.)  And although I understand that the constant change mentality has become part of our culture, I resent the incessant tinkering with tools that really don’t need a .5 upgrade, do they?!

So, I find that after almost five years  of brandishing the sword of social media, I’m a bit tired of feeling I must be part of the advance guard, jumping on every horse heading toward the front.  In 2013, maybe it’s time to watch from the summit to see where the real action is taking place in order to better wield  this double-edged sword toward strategic advantage.

I wonder if others feel that way?

Photo of Nike Monument in Warsaw, photographed by Michal Zacharzewski. Used through creative commons license.