I love social media and I hate social media.
I love being able to stay connected to family and friends I don’t see often. I love getting to know authors, musicians, and influencers better. I love to find out about events, sales, and attractions in my local area.
But…
I hate the fighting that happens over controversial topics. I hate that some people use anonymity to be cruel to others. I hate how quickly it sucks me in. I hate that it makes us compare ourselves to other people.
But there has to be a way to enjoy the benefits of social media, while minimizing the drawbacks.
In fact, there are several ways.
6 Tips to Make Social Media Suck Less
1. Clean up your friend and following lists.
We have to be very careful about what we allow into our minds.
To show you what I mean, here are a couple of examples unrelated to social media. If I decide to watch a TV show that has a lot of cursing, I start having those words pop into my thoughts. If I spend a lot of time with friends who complain about their husbands, I start to notice things about my husband that annoy me.
Social media works the same way. Whatever I read frequently has an impact on my thoughts and on the way I view the world.
So think twice about following people who complain, criticize, or even have very different values than you do.
2. Use the unfollow feature frequently.
It may not be wise for you to outright unfriend your aunt Becky, your high school best friend, or your neighbor. But you can certainly unfollow them.
Thank God Facebook and Instagram both have the unfollow feature, because this can enable us to keep the peace without being exposed to posts we don’t care to see.
3. Limit the time you spend on social media.
It is so easy to hop on Instagram or Facebook to look at one thing, and the next thing you know, you’ve been on there an hour. Decide how much time you want to spend on social media per day, then set a timer for yourself. When the timer goes off, be disciplined enough to walk away.
4. Use notifications carefully.
If there are people you absolutely do not want to miss a post from, turn on notifications for that person. Then you can check Facebook or Instagram and read all the must-know info in 10 minutes or less.
5. Think before you like or comment on a post.
These social media apps algorithms are very smart. If you like or comment on someone’s post, they will show you more posts from that person. So, if you are liking posts only because you think you should or feel obligated, you are only hurting yourself.
6. Use social media to post positive things and encourage others.
Remember that Gandhi quote, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world”? Apply that philosophy to social media by posting uplifting or funny things that will make your friends’ days better.
Social media is a great tool for encouraging others. Leave a note for a friend or send them a message if you know they’ve been going through a hard time.
Here’s my challenge to you. Try one or two of these tips in the next week and see what happens.
If this post was helpful to you, feel free to spread the love and share it with your friends on Facebook or Instagram.
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