For better or worse, social media is a part of our lives, and while experts say it’s not inherently bad or good, it certainly has a bad rap for ruining everyone’s mental health. While being active on social media can make people feel alone and inferior, it can also connect and educate, and it can all come down to what you’re viewing in your feed.
After the election, many people are spending more time scrolling, and the last thing we need is anything that divides us or makes us feel worse. So, how do we make social media a more positive experience? Dr. Katherine Keyes, professor of epidemiology at Columbia University, explains that the environment you curate online makes a big difference.
Here’s how to do that to have a healthier, happier social media experience.
- Spend time on what you actually want to see - Social media algorithms analyze what you spend time on, whether it’s commenting on a post or watching a video play through, so make sure you spend time on what you like as it will keep sending you similar content.
- Know what you’re looking for - It’s easy to get distracted and find yourself taking a deep dive into something you don’t really care about, like a reality show couple’s relationship timeline. That’s how social media works, it wants you to chase the exciting content it feeds you, which can give you a dopamine hit and keep you coming back for more. But if you make a choice before you scroll about what content you want to look for, it can help you engage in just the stuff that matters to you.
- Know what you’re going to swipe away from - It’s just as important to know what you don’t want in your feed because it’s not helpful, like posts that focus on social comparison. There’s no shortage of that, like content about beauty standards, diet culture and stuff related to physical appearance, and while it’s not all bad, knowing what’s a red flag and unhealthy for you can make a big difference.
- Unfollow, hide or delete - Wanting to be open to a variety of opinions, people and content is great, but if it makes you angry, frustrated, or creates unnecessary conflict, you may want to reconsider following those accounts. If you want to feel good after being on social media and certain pages or people aren’t bringing you joy or connection, it may be time to unfollow.
Read the full story at CNN