Social media was supposed to be fun.

Wait, what?

That panel name grabbed me at Social Media Week Los Angeles and wouldn’t let go.

As a perk of being on the faculty in the Social Media B.A. program at FIDM, the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, I got to go with my students. (Opinions expressed in this post are my own.)

Along with the department chair Tom Henkenius, I enjoyed the conference and its sessions on storytelling, influencers, AI, gaming and more.

But why did the session on fun jump out at me? Well, maybe because the last several months have been intense. I completed project after project, racing from one to another in rapid succession, without breaks in between.

Yes, it was exciting to publish my first book, give a TEDx talk, work with clients, and develop a social media consulting class for FIDM.

Yet the intensity of so many projects at times left me yearning to take a short break and recharge. I wanted to do something fun. But I couldn’t think of what that would be. Literally nothing came to mind.

Maybe the dictionary could help me. Fun is defined as, “something that provides mirth or amusement, enjoyment or playfulness.”

But I still had no ideas.

Wait, what?

Which is likely why the Social Media Week session on fun stood out. Usually when I face a problem, I assume it’s unique to me. It’s something to figure out on my own.

But this session painted a picture of a societal problem. “Modern life is really good at taking things that used to be fun and, well, making them NOT fun,” the session description began.

“Real fun is built on spontaneity and surprise, opening up possibilities for experience and memorable moments,” it continued. “Social media was largely considered fun when it first boomed in pop culture. So, what happened?”

Holland Martini and Bevan Mahaney of Grey talked about bringing the fun to life. It was based on Grey’s research study, the Famously Effective Business of Fun.

We learned some sobering stats:

• the U.S. ranks #18 in the world on happiness
• people rate fun as number 5 out of 9 options
• people are doing “fun” activities for reasons other than fun, like reading for their mental well-being, working out for physical health, and going on social media just to pass time.

Ooof.

The problem, they said, is we don’t know what’s fun anymore.

Apparently, we are collectively experiencing a dearth of fun. It’s not just me. It’s many of us. It may be you. Or someone you know.

Holland and Bevan then related those findings to business. It turns out that “50% of people are more likely to consider or purchase a brand if they knew a brand could help them have more fun. And 76% would spend more on that brand.”

So, not only is fun good for us individually, it’s also good for business.

Holland and Bevan had valuable strategies for bringing fun back to social media:

1. Create supportive communities for like-minded people
2. Provide shareable, memorable cultural currency
3. Give people canvases to enjoy life.

From my perspective of social media as a career booster, here’s what I would add. These are three things that make social media fun on a professional level for me. Maybe they will for you, too.

Yes, this does introduce a “good for you” aspect, beyond having fun for fun’s sake. But fun can foster an environment where people feel happier, more connected, and more creative. Fun has a unifying feel-good element that can help bring more enjoyment to your professional life. And there are echoes of my post on what to do when social media gets you down.

First, encourage others to have fun at work. Who says anything you do can’t be more fun? How could you make it more fun and enjoyable? Whether you’re a team leader or an individual contributor, you can share fun ideas and make them happen. Celebrating a big accomplishment, coming together for people’s birthdays, bringing in dinner when the team is working late on a project, and making a point to laugh and be silly at times can help a team bond and have more fun.

One of the most gratifying experiences for me in the corporate world was fellow colleagues laughing and bantering together as we worked under significant deadlines to put out a communication or make a big event happen. Enjoying the high points of our work and the celebration afterwards made it all the sweeter.

In these moments, you can encourage your colleagues to share their experiences on social media in a work-appropriate way. It amplifies the joy and shows how work can be fun. Images and emotions can be contagious, so you just may be contributing to making the world a more fun place to be.

Second, share the fun in what you’re doing professionally. Just because work can be intense doesn’t mean that you and your team shouldn’t enjoy the process and have fun in the process. Making a point of sharing those fun moments on your social media can increase the good feelings among your colleagues, amplify your employer’s brand, and encourage others to make their workplaces more fun.

Recently I spoke at a Town Hall meeting for a former colleague, Kim Keating, at AT&T. (Again, opinions expressed are my own.) Kim leads a data science team, and she wanted to better equip them to share on social media about what it’s like working at the company. My talk was covered how to tell your professional story on social media. Everyone I interacted with made the process simple, easy, and yes, fun.

Third, learn something just for the fun of it. It’s a quiet Sunday morning as I’m writing this. I made this morning a “Pajama Sunday” where I read for pleasure. I paged through some digital and print magazines, reading whatever I wanted, not what I thought I should read for professional purposes. And I started reading a new book: Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness by Ingrid Fetell Lee.

Maybe you learn by reading, or by watching, or by listening, or by doing. What do you want to know more about, just because it would be fun? What really intrigues you, even if it seemingly has no relevance to your professional or personal life?

Go delve into that. Share what you learned on social media. Maybe it will brighten someone else’s day or give some much-needed insights.

__________

Writing this post was (mostly) fun. It has to be, or I wouldn’t spend so much time doing it. In a happy coincidence, this is post #200 since I launched this blog more than four years ago. Clearly, this is a joyful activity for me.

In Vancouver this month to speak at a conference for communicators, I took a morning stroll through the scenic, seaside Stanley Park.  I dipped into some “forest bathing” and felt refreshed by nature. I jumped on a swing for the sheer fun of it.

And now, because it’s a beautiful summer Sunday, I’m taking my bright red, beach-cruiser bicycle to a repair shop to get it in shape for the season. There are few things more fun than a leisurely bike ride at the beach.

What are you doing for fun today?