Last semester I had to put together a project on the topic of my choosing for my Intro to Women and Gender studies class, and I chose to write an Op-Ed about social media and body image. The main message I hoped to convey was that with the way the social media algorithms are designed it is far too easy to become trapped in a doom scroll every time you open an app such as Instagram where a couple likes on posts promoting healthy recipes or fitspiration can quickly become a feed filled with content telling you how to improve your body both directly and indirectly. The essay was easy for me to write because as someone who has struggled with disordered eating I know all too well how social media can make a bad situation worse, and since tech giants won’t be altering the algorithms any time soon, my goal was to implore the reader to preemptively avoid the hold that the algorithm can have on your mind. But to be completely honest, I think my biggest goal was to implore myself to do the same. I would finish typing one paragraph just to subconsciously hit that little Instagram icon on my screen and do the exact thing I spent 1,000 words convincing my imaginary audience not to do. I would go to my explore page and scroll through posts telling me that I need to run, I need to lift, I need to eat fewer calories, I need to bulk, I need to go vegan, I need more protein, etc. And I didn’t stop. I didn’t even try.
I think part of the reason I didn’t stop is because it was a habit. My finger hit the app before I could even process what I was doing, and as a remedy for boredom I’d be mindlessly scrolling without even a shred of consideration for all the reasons I should stop.
I think the other reason is that I didn’t want to stop. As horrible as it sounds, I almost craved the instructional nature of the content I was consuming, telling me how to exist in my body.
However, after I submitted the essay I took a moment to reflect on the words I had written. I realized I had to make a conscious decision to follow my own advice and stop the scroll. I ended up putting a thirty minute time limit on my instagram that I now strictly adhere to. It might seem silly, superfluous even considering the fact that I could easily circumvent the limit, but I needed that daily reminder to protect my mental health. I go on social media now for updates, communication and a little outfit inspiration every once in a while. However, I avoid the explore page as much as I can, and I’m much more mindful of the content that I click on when I do.
Paying a little extra attention to my social media usage has been an incredibly important step in healing for me, and I hope with this little reminder it might do the same for you.