One of the biggest paradoxes in today’s modern world that we live in is how easy it is to subscribe to or follow someone or something, yet how difficult it is to disconnect or unsubscribe from the same.
Social media is now playing a bigger role in our lives than it did decades ago. Need outfit ideas? Your favorite Instagram influencer’s probably got you covered. Can’t figure out how to pull off a makeup look you have in mind or cook a certain dish that you’re craving? There’s a 99.9% chance that YouTube has a video that can help. Bored? TikTok is only a tap away. Haven’t spoken to someone in ages and they just came to your mind out of the blue? You could probably track them down on Facebook.
The point is that social media has woven itself into our day-to-day lives so intricately that if it were to all of sudden disappear or be taken away, a lot of people would be left with a big void that they wouldn’t know what to do with.
The majority of us are either partially or fully hooked on the social media apps that we use because they’ve become a virtual extension of ourselves, and that’s okay. But how do you unhook yourself from the toxic aspects of these apps? In as much as there’s so much positivity to gain from in the online space, there exists concurrently a lot of negativity that you certainly do not need to be soaking in at all unless you may end up totally exhausting yourself, mentally and physically.
A good place to start would be with these few tips that will help you to detach yourself from what’s bad online so that you’re left on the receiving end of mostly what’s good:
- Start with a little Social Media Weeding
Everyone knows that for a garden to thrive, the harmful weeds need to be taken away as much as possible. Are you scrolling through your timeline and you come across a hate message or a post you find upsetting? Don’t hesitate to unfollow such pages, block any trolls you encounter in the comment section, and some apps like Instagram even have a handy little feature that allows you to opt to never see posts similar to these anymore.
It is commendable that a lot of social media companies are taking the initiative to actively work towards eradicating cyberbullying on these platforms. However, if you still happen to come across anything offensive on your feed that hasn’t yet been detected by the app operators, the best thing for you to do is report the post and unsubscribe yourself from seeing similar posts like that, even if the person posting those things happens to be someone you are acquainted with in real life.
You will be doing both yourself and the rest of the users on the app a huge favor.
- Only accept friend requests from people you know
While popularity on the internet may have its own appeal, having hundreds or thousands of “friends” or followers might eventually prove to be very draining in the long run. That’s why you should only accept friend requests from people you know unless of course you’re running a business account. For an even better experience, you can further whittle down that list to people you know and can trust to stay kind, genuine, and positive with their posts. You’ll find with time that true friendships are much more valuable than trivial fame on the internet.
- Don’t subscribe to fake news
A good habit to learn as you navigate your way through all the information available to you on social media is discerning what’s real from what’s fake. There are a lot of reliable sources out there, and twice as many unreliable ones, so it’s always best to verify any info that doesn’t seem 100% to you before you believe anything or fall victim to fake news. Plus, following pages and platforms with reputations for being reliable sources of constructive information is also another good practice.
- It’s cliché, but a full disconnect can actually help you connect better
We hear this all the time, but it’s the bible truth. When you put down your phone and take a few steps away from technology, even if it’s only for a few minutes, you’re allowing your mind to focus on other important things that you may have skipped because you had your eyes on the timeline. It’s a truly healthy practice to do a full disconnect as often as possible, and instead, connect more with the world around you. There’s so much you can actually experience in real life rather than trying to experience it through a phone or computer screen.
Additionally, this will give you an increased level of self-awareness and clarity that will reflect in your own kind, genuine, and positive posts that you make when you do pick up your phone again.
Conclusion
Social media—let’s face it—will never be going back to just being about selfie Sundays, cute pictures of your fur babies, and motivationally worded posts. So to keep the content that you see on a daily positive, healthy, and edifying, it’s about time you give your timeline that detox that it needs.
XOXO,
See you next time!
