Five Ways to Build a Better Relationship with Social Media
Over the last decade, social media has become a part of our everyday life. While the content-driven apps promote connections, creativity, and user-generated content, oftentimes, as users, we’re left scrolling (or tapping) through social media apps for hours. Killing our productivity, vibe, and self-esteem.
While social media comes with its long list of benefits, it also comes with its fair share of disadvantages. The good thing is that you have control of it. You have what it takes to use social media to your advantage. Below are five ways to build a better relationship with social media.
It’s not me, it’s you
Not enough social media users step up to talk about the dark side of social media use. Therefore, you probably think it’s you that’s the problem here, and not the social media apps. Social media apps are designed to keep you online as long as possible, so if you find yourself mindlessly scrolling for hours at a time, that’s intentional.
Realize that the problem is the apps and not you.
Set time limits
If you’re like me and thrive on timers and reminders, you’ll probably love the option to set time limits to your social media use. If you’re an iPhone user, there’s a time limit setting that allows you to set time limits to the apps and functions of your choice. If you want to limit your time on the Facebook app to 30 minutes, you can do that.
Be aware of your feelings
One of the biggest wake-up calls for me was when I noticed I would feel extremely anxious after scrolling through social media. If your mood or energy tanks after using social media apps, it might be time to reevaluate your relationship with them. For me, this had a lot to do with comparison syndrome and feeling inadequate compared to others.
If this is true for you, reconsider your relationship and make some changes.
Create more than you consume
Social media apps were created to connect, engage, and create. While that remains the case for some users, many of us spend too much time consuming and not enough time creating or connecting. You can change that. Set some rules. Maybe you can’t scroll until you post something or engage with a certain amount of people.
Let go of expectations
I decided that my word of the year would be expectations. I realized if I set proper expectations, my chances of being let down would decrease. When it comes to social media and what it can do for you, make sure you’re setting the right expectations to avoid being let down. Realize that to create a presence, it’ll come with its downsides.
