Social media - I can’t help it but picturing it as being many people in a room talking at the same time. I use LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook but as many of my “friends” are starting to deactivate their accounts, I wonder if it is not them just stepping out of the room, reaching for a cigarette on the balcony and getting some quiet time.

What’s the future of social media? I don’t have the answer and I don’t think anyone does. Is it here to stay, like many other technological invention? I am not sure neither. It is human nature to connect and socialize but if you are not talking (and listening) to the right person in the room, you are wasting your time. It becomes noise. And noise is pollution.

The older we get, the more selective with our friendship and our outing we become. Why? What happens?  Work, kids, responsibilities, aging parents…simply life happens. With our selected circle of friends and family members we spend splendid moments of fun and joy; same for social connections…the savvier I become of the usage of social media, the more selective of my network and my choice of platform I become. The less noise I get, the more productive I am.

I made 3 changes to eliminate noise in my digital life.

• Minimum number of social media platforms: Based on my industry, I selected one main platform that became my focus for networking and business exchange. In this room I speak. In the others I listen.

• Following the right crowd: Almost every social platform allows you to follow people, companies, newspapers and magazines. I removed most of the things that bring me uninvited information.

• Time of usage: I never had the automatic notifications on my phone and now I don’t have the applications on my phone. Constant connection does not mean more productivity.