I did it. I got back on social media.
EDITOR'S NOTE
It's been another trade-dominated, head-spinning day that will change again by the time I try to write about it, so we'll save all that for the show at 1 p.m., and I offer the following mea culpa for your enjoyment instead.
Three years ago, I deleted my Twitter account. I had already quit Facebook and Instagram in the prior months, but that was me really breaking up for good with social media.
I had 80,000+ followers at the time! I'd been one of the early adopters of the platform back in 2009. It was nothing to sneeze at. And I wrote a whole thing about it. Mercifully--and perhaps not coincidentally--the internet has since lost the bulk of the piece.
I actually have zero regrets about quitting when I did. It was kind of like declaring personal bankruptcy. I was completely overwhelmed trying to keep up with the social media Joneses and various accounts all the time. And my life was changing a lot--I had just gotten engaged. Call it nesting, maybe. I was cocooning.
For the past two-and-a-half years, I didn't even miss it. I never even checked Twitter except (a) to grab the latest Trump tweets for my job, and (b) during the intro to the 2018 NBA All-Star game, which was so hilariously mind-boggling (uncomfortable Kevin Hart jokes! That Fergie national anthem!) that only basketball Twitter could adequately capture and convey the moment.
But as I mentioned a couple months ago, a funny thing has happened now that I'm a mom living in the 'burbs: everything happens on Facebook. The Fourth of July parade info I needed? On the "Moms & Dads" page that people were snapshotting and having to text me. People whom I needed to contact I had to ask friends to ask for their phone numbers via Facebook Message for me to then get in touch. Buying or selling things, or exchanging baby toys? Yep...you had to be on the Facebook page for that.
I could only hold out for so long before not being on Facebook was harder than being on it. As for Twitter, honestly, I've just become more worried about missing out on a valuable future asset. Try writing a book these days without being a social media "influencer." It's practically a non-starter.
So, social media won. But the CNBC audience already knows that--Facebook shares are up another 38% just this year. Twitter is up 46%! I'd joke that my return/capitulation is a sign of the top but frankly, I think it's just recognizing the obvious: these tools are more valuable than ever, and they are here to stay.
I may never have 80,000 followers again on Twitter, because I just can't tweet at the constant frenetic pace I did back when I was 28. I'm now one of the uncool adults on social media who can barely navigate a landing page (Facebook has gotten unbelievably cluttered. And even Twitter is confusing now!). But that's okay. It's kind of nice starting over with a clean slate, actually.
So, you know where this is going...you can now follow me @KellyCNBC. I welcome your gentle ribbing :-)
See you at 1 p.m.,
Kelly
P.S. And when I quit social media again, I promise not to write about it!!
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