Don't Let Facebook Narrow Your Perspective

Watch the video above or read on for your Business Tip from Lindsey Smith:

The problem with Facebook is that it can be like looking at the world through a toilet paper roll, narrowing your perspective and giving you tunnel vision on what’s going on in the world around you, and here’s why:

Let’s say you have 500 Facebook Friends. What Facebook does is ask, “Who have you interacted with recently? Okay – now we’re going to show you posts from only those people.” Now your “Friends” are whittled down to the top 50 or so people in your list and all of your news updates and opinions are based on their likes, posts, and shares.

Consider this… There are 30 million people in Canada and 400 million in the US. If your main source of news is based on the opinions of only 50 people on your Facebook feed, how big of a perspective do you actually have on life? If you feel bad about something happening in the economy or if you’re looking for political information or business tips, get off Facebook and look for a broader world perspective! Start going to places where your friends aren’t – buy a subscription to Inman News or start reading the CREA newsletters. Try going to conferences abroad to gain a broader perspective on the real estate industry and life in general.

A word of caution – this tunnel vision works two ways! So, whether you feel bad or happy about your life based on something you’ve read or seen on Facebook, ask yourself, “What am I really comparing myself to? How big is my circle of influence? How broad is my perspective on life in general?” Be careful to not make judgments and decisions based on looking at life through the narrow scope of a toilet paper roll like your Facebook feed.