Social media. AI. Algorithms. Targeted and programmatic advertising. Influencers.
This is the world we are living in and have been for quite some time. People my age and younger joke: If we didn’t put it on social, did it even happen?
That thought looped in my mind as I was running up a steep hill a few weeks ago. I was getting my ass kicked by the climb, so I took a break to enjoy the view and the wildflowers. I snapped this photo, reflexively. For a moment, I considered posting it to my Insta. But I didn’t. This blog is about why.
For context, I am a millennial, one of the oldest in that generation. Young enough to be an early Facebook adopter when it entered the world in the mid-2000s, and old enough to remember life before it. I’m a digital native, who spent my 20s and 30s experimenting with emerging platforms and then ultimately made my career out of social media content development and strategy at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR).
Those plugged-in years at JHMR were fun, dynamic, and full of adrenaline. We tracked views, likes, followers, and engagement constantly, and I took pride in how my team thrived in optimizing content organically to build incredibly engaged audiences. Personally, during this time, I was constantly consuming content—discovering new platforms, devouring podcasts, and scrolling in bed at night, watching reactions and comments like a hawk.
But lately? I’ve been opting out.
At first, it was subtle. I started muting noise, cut out many platforms, and limited the news I read to a few trusted, specific outlets and delivery methods. I did this subconsciously. I was feeling overwhelmed about the state of the world, and at the same time underwhelmed by the content I was consuming. I was bored and burnt out.
I really love the wisdom that has come with my new middle-aged self. I quit the content consumption loop that wasn’t serving me, and readjusted how I sought out inspiration, connection, and new ideas. I backed off podcasts and started listening to full books—how novel! I turned off the TV news and selected one intentional digital news delivery per day. I deleted TikTok, Snapchat, X, and Facebook. I stopped the mindless scrolling. And guess what? I felt better. I felt more informed. I retained information better.
So back to my happy place, which is on the trails in Red Top behind my house. Just me, Bruce, and the dirt. I focus solely on the terrain, my thoughts, and breath. Sometimes, I leave my phone at home for these outings, and completely unplug. Other days, I enjoy listening to a book or an album (this summer on repeat: Morgan Wallen, I’m the Problem).
Please note I am specifically using the words book and album because I encourage you to STOP the madness of the quick fixes your devices are begging you to surrender to, and instead reclaim your attention like it’s the most valuable currency you have. There’s something beautifully defiant about slowing down your consumption. Choosing what you give your time to. That kind of discernment is a practice, and it’s one we believe in deeply.
Here is our Ouest House holistic approach to social media and digital life that applies to both business and being.
Do your research: I read the Anxious Generation and Happiness Hypothesis to learn the science behind our current world and the feedback loops social platforms literally addict young people to. Awareness is step one. Then comes action. I encourage you to spend time thinking about possible solutions to incorporating social and internet in a balanced way into your life.
Do it wisely, and with purpose: I didn’t get rid of social media entirely. I love a few minutes a day of scrolling Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest for inspiration and to see what my friends and colleagues are up to. And this applies to your business. Social is still an important part of brand awareness, connection, and transactions. Do it wisely and with purpose.
Real social connections: The research has proven this, and at Ouest House we believe experiential marketing (yes, face-to-face moments) build more meaningful brand loyalty than digital alone. Together experiential and digital marketing are like peas and carrots. It just makes sense to create virtual and tangible touch points to achieve your business goals.
Less screen time, more real time: The statistics are frightening and sobering about the number of hours our younger generations spend on personal devices. But it’s not just them. Our collective screen time at all ages is soaring at a staggering rate.
At Ouest House, we believe in flexible work weeks, creative autonomy, and give our staff the ability to “unplug” as necessary. In my home, I’m generally “off limits” from 5-8 p.m. so I can get some exercise outside and have dinner with my family without my phone trumping my human interactions with the people who love me most. Jenny swears by her “No Tech Sundays,” a full 24-hour digital detox every week. These aren’t rules. They are rituals.
Which brings me back to that moment on the trail. The one I didn’t post. It was because I remembered the question posed by Austrian philosopher and physicist Ernst Mach: If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it, does it make noise? My answer, “Well, duh! Of course it does.”
The experience happened. It was real, and it was mine. In that moment I was grateful for the sun, the trail, the freedom of the Wyoming countryside, and hyper-aware of how out of shape I was.
Instagram isn’t going to make me stronger, smarter, or richer.
I am.
