Hello Gen-Z! Do you suffer at the hands of social media? Are you starting to believe it is in fact “that damn phone?” You’re not alone. Our generation is “more likely than any other generations to cite negative feelings about social media.”
Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your perspective), social media is a huge part of our lives! It can make us feel more connected, not only to far away friends but to our peers. Shared trends, movements, and memes give us common ground with others at work and in the classroom. A life without social media seems isolating. But, a life with social media can feel anxiety-inducing and depressing!
So, where does this leave us? Read on for tips on how to enjoy social media without letting it bring you down!
Social Medias I Recommend
A huge part of using social media for enjoyment is curating positive content for yourself and Pinterest is the perfect place for this! Pinterest, in my experience, is a lot more sensitive to consumers’ preferences. If you search on Pinterest “fall nails” your home page will be filled with fall nail designs for weeks. Unlike other platforms that curate pages based on “predicted interests and engagement likelihood,” Pinterests delivers exactly what you ask for. If you search “cake recipes” you’ll see cake recipes.
When you’re not interested in a pin, you can simply “hide” it. This also tells the algorithm you are not interested in that content and it’s rare to see something like it again. Unlike other platforms, there is less opportunity for influencer comparison which has been shown to aggravate social anxiety. Boards can be shared (my roommates and I have a shared house decor board!) or private (not everyone has to see my sad quotes!). A curated Pinterest filled with quotes, room decor, memes and your interests can be a fun way to engage online without the stress.
YouTube
I am a YouTube fiend. I can’t resist an vlog, SNL skit, or short documentary. I’ve recently gotten into YouTube Shorts from a jeweler. He creates unique and repurposed jewelry. I’ve also been binging ultra-marathon documentaries. In short, YouTube, if you don’t get engaged in negative comments, can be a very low-stakes social media. In fact, it’s one of the most popular.
Across the board, social media is what you make it! I think that’s why it can be so detrimental to young people; they can’t protect themselves from the negativity. Using social media carefully, aware of the negative comments, risk for comparison, and misinformation, can be a fun and connecting activity. Stay on the sunny side of Youtube!
BeReal
I am no longer a BeReal user. I noticed that it was seriously triggering my FOMO so I deleted it. That’s responsible social media usage.
But, I still enjoyed using it for a time. I was super glad I used it my freshman year of college. At the end of the year, I had a collage pictures from every single day that year. It brought back so many wonderful memories I would have completely forgotten if I didn’t have documentation.
There a lot of apps that don’t require a social aspect but create memories! 1 Second Everyday is a popular one. I realized that seeing exactly what my friends were doing everyday was not great for me. Sure, sometimes I’d be in a super fun and awesome spot for my BeReal, but it would amplify my loneliness when I was stress eating Dove chocolates with Pride and Prejudice (2005) in the background when it went off. When an app stops working for you, move on!
Instagram is a personal favorite of mine. I love to spend time scrolling reels, lightly stalking my friends from high school, and analyzing the latest internet trends. However, I notice that Instagram can sometimes play with my emotions. I have been getting a lot of reels that send me down an anxiety spiral particularly about hormone health and mental health. I could not tell you what I did to invoke these posts, but for months I was getting diagnosed with PCOS and hormonal imbalances by random women on the internet. Which, I don’t have. A lot of content became therapy focused too. Did I have ADHD? And if I do, why would a reel diagnose me?
It was a bad place. Opening Instagram was like going to an unlicensed doctor’s appointment I never scheduled.
So, I started selecting “not interested” on anxiety-giving reels. Then, when prompted, I would have the algorithm stop suggesting posts with words I didn’t want on my page. For example, I blocked posts with the term “OCD” in them. Instagram isn’t a doctor and OCD is not something I can lightly engage in online. It’s a serious condition! Contemplating mental illness was not helping my mental state.
Whenever I notice a trend of posts that, rather than make me laugh and connect me with friends, bring me down, I intentionally select “not interested.” I have serious interests in mental health, physical health and even politics. But, I know that Instagram is not a healthy place to engage in these interests with its intense misinformation.
I will turn to doctors, specialists, and bonafide news sources for these things.
Conclusion
If you take one thing from this article, remember that social media is what you make it! Social media doesn’t control you, you control your usage of social media! Take breaks, set boundaries, and create positive environments to engage in. Happy scrolling!