Irritating social media

Sharp-tongued troublemakers and negative opponents are a breed of their own on discussion platforms, blog comment boxes, or as anonymous slanderers even on news portals. Sometimes it feels like a journalist or enthusiastic comment starter is basically the worst enemy of such a social media troll. The creator of the article is an arrogant know-it-all and the shooting down the writer is necessary. If the opening is positive, a loophole or perspective is sought that dilutes the positivity. If, on the other hand, the opening is boldly critical, the opposite view is sought by reminding that the writer again has no idea what he is talking about and does not even have the ability to positive thinking!

The vain self-proclaimers are the second group I suppose. I’ve already had my share of this criticism when all I have is my own experiences and not even basic education of mental health branch. “Why does someone publish that and assume his everyday life situations would interest others? Why doesn’t he talk at home or go to therapy! Not interested! The turmoil is not calmed down even by a third party’s defensive comment “well, don’t read if you’re not interested”. For many like myself writing is actually a form of self-therapy and not a way of life, so I feel it’s enough if a couple of readers is interested and give me feedback. “It’s still purely an attention-seeking effort, after all”. Or perhaps a desperate attempt to earn money without the person posting on social media applying for real jobs.”

My own attitude

It would be quite easy to say, even from these two previous angles, that social media and artificial intelligence are a shortcut for the lazy and desperate and is only used for justifying gap years or that there is no need to sweat in industrial jobs. That social media users do not have their own lives! Or that it is a popularity-seeking imitation of celebrity idols, which only props up poor self-confidence, while avoiding the dirty work needed for independence in economy. It would be just as easy for me, at the age of 47, to roll my eyes and decide that there is no need to be interested in branding, online shopping environments or marketing products through entertainment. I could be a typical social media critic in no time and would even get support online. I will never be embarrassed or belittle expanding social media skills and courage and “wasting” time on new apps. Why… Because it might be that social media enthusiast builds common competence!

My background is very traditional for someone my age in Finland, raised in industry-focus town. First elementary school, high school, summer jobs at a telephone company and then shift work in factories with sweat and hard work. Sometimes some itchy fiberglass threads in eyes and ankles, sometimes dough paste under the shirt! For a large part of my career, the main purpose of using a phone has been to make and answer calls, if the ringtone was audible enough in the noise of work. Before I returned to the food industry, I witnessed the collapse of the Finnish paper industry from a somewhat close perspective, including the 2008 labor agreement change, fierce global labor cost competition and the rise of digitalization. We heard stories about how many people’s specialized training tied to specific production plants “went to waste” and had to humbly be redirected to new field of education. I feel very lucky that I chose industrial management education which only gave me a scratch on the surface on various things, but an excellent opportunity to enter many fields.

Why take interest in social media

There are many phenomena that speak in favor of the fact that new social media platforms, services and integrations are worth taking an interest in. Even for the typical rigid staid bachelor of industrial economics or mechanical engineering! Why? Well, first of all, factories, warehouses, plants and other fixed structures are decreasing and being replaced by services. The remaining fixed premises are being designed for multi-purpose use with convertible mobile structures. Brick-and-mortar stores are disappearing or turning into branding spaces as products move to digital form.

Within the digital world, the pace is accelerating, everything is integrating with each other, and you cannot underestimate any environment.

For example:

1. You can no longer categorize in advance whether an app or service is related to your leisure time hobbies or your professional skills! In other words, whether you need to understand it or not. If you exclude a new technology, it will change sides overnight and you’ll become a late follower!
2. The concept of a search engine is becoming more obscure day by day, and googling will soon only be for those who haven’t learned more efficient search methods. The most recent and comprehensive information can be found where you’ve claimed your children spent too much time or fooled around (TikTok, artificial intelligence apps).
3. Marketing is not just a specialty of marketing professionals, but making a product or service visible and available is now a basic IT skill (no more MS Office and email). Competitors are online and know how to find the right person. Whether you are a factory manager or an eager middle school summer intern, you can win or lose a lot in relation to your own stakeholders depending on whether you’re creative in social media, know visual design or your systems integration skills are good or barely mediocre.
4. People in general are getting used to receiving information quickly, i.e. immediately. Soon, it will not be enough for anyone to receive an email reply or a callback with a delay of hours or days. Responding must become real-time and convenient through the development of tools, or alternatively automated, e.g. by utilizing artificial intelligence. This is the only way to keep up. This too is gradually becoming an IT skill and a basic expectation for a standard worker, and not some fancy trickery of application developers.
5. And once again, AI. It will become a huge competitive advantage in terms of efficiency and creativity. Don’t ask what extra you can gain by realizing it. Ask how far from the top you can fall if you can’t creatively use multiple AI channels and apply them to perform your basic tasks efficiently and with maximum data reliability.

My learnings from trend guide

After reading this, I also recommend subscribing to and reading Avidly’s (Ada Avenius) guide “The Five Most Interesting Social Media Trends for 2025”. (Probably you can get it in EN somehow…). The link is at the end of this article. The most important learnings I took away from it were these:

The favorite environments of young people (e.g. TikTok) that are full of “useless” (entertaining) garbage are rapidly emerging as significant information search channels, where you need to know how to find that useful information. That information is already there! Social media (e.g. Insta) is combined with shopping, and the updated role of social media is to lead you to a sensible product option.

We must accept and utilize the fact that silly “viral” entertainment content and the product data of leading, serious brands are combined, because this funny stuff draws the general public to the product. I say trust the product and your expertise, dare to throw yourself into relaxed and funny marketing channels!

Good and fast service is made on social media and you can’t survive by operating outside of it. So it’s not enough to just be present in order to be trendy! Everyone needs to learn how to utilize artificial intelligence, and I have a strong feeling that no one is going to teach you. Start using it, be faster and more creative than your worst competitor.

I have also done search engine optimization (SEO) for my blog. It is not for IT professionals but now for everyone who wants to stand out, i.e. beat their competitors. Entrepreneur, product developer, school job seeker, single person on a dating app, etc.

Honestly, the whole point of this article is to make you think from a different perspective and perhaps recognize in yourself those moments when a social media term irritates you and makes you furious. When some new app trend seems ridiculous, or you feel a twinge of shame when you realize that some novice’s account or article does not shine with professionalism but with rudimentaryness. For me, social media, blogging, creating websites, modern marketing tools and ways to earn money are extremely fascinating topics, and this digital revolution of mine has played a big part in improving my self-confidence and mental health. It has been a huge success to realize that I can, I learn and am able to learn by doing, even against my earlier habits, even if I don’t see the whole picture, the end result first. I have been overwhelmed and sometimes stay up too late while devouring information. For someone, all of this may just be a necessary, even stressful, effort to keep up with the requirements of the era in order to succeed in the job market or keep one’s own business alive. If I wasn’t interested in this, I still wouldn’t dare not look into it.

Link to Avidly guide:

Avidly: Sosiaalisen median trendit 2025

Br, Jukka

“A father of four, partner, friend, manager in early middle age. Passionate about learning new things in life and world around, doing sports, watching series and reading current news.”