Social Media Consumption in Lockdown

Social media – and our use of it - is such a big talking point all the time, and I think it’s probably become more of an issue for some people (myself included) over lockdown. More people are glued to social media because it goes some way to fill the big gap at the moment. The idea for this post came from a close friend of mine, and, when I asked on Instagram how people’s relationship with social media has changed over lockdown, the people that responsed all said how much they were using it, how their screen time had gone up.

Megan Jayne Crabbe (@bodyposipanda on Instagram) posted about this recently, more evidence it’s an issue on many people's minds at the moment. She talks about the many negative sides of social media, but she says, importantly, ‘most of us don’t realise how addicted we are, or how much it’s impacting our mental health, self-esteem, relationships and how we see the world’.

 

It’s difficult when it’s an easy activity to do, it requires no thought, and it’s so accessible, always in arm’s reach. It also provides an easy distraction or escape from things. The other week I noticed my behaviour, the pull of social media strong and its negative impact deep due to my health at the moment. I was too restless and mentally preoccupied to watch something, but too unfocused to read. Social media is a different kind of distraction and absorption, one that doesn’t need focus, one that is simple doing, scrolling, watching. Straight away you are brought away.

But it’s such a cycle, because the worse we feel or the more we rely on it, the more we go on it, and the more we go on it, the worse it can make us feel. Sometimes it’s as if I can envision a cable, like a cartoon I once saw where the guy is tied to his phone. Sometimes it gives me headaches, makes me feel sluggish. But, here we are again, picking up our phones, pressing unlock, opening Instagram, refreshing, scrolling through. Have you ever refreshed over and over again even though nothing new is coming up? Have you ever left the app, only to reopen it because you forgot what you were on, it’s an instinctual reaction, so absent-minded?

There also seems to be a desire in me to stay connected, to fear missing out, but what would I be missing? I enjoy using social media, and I enjoy seeing what everyone’s up to, but I don’t need to. It should only go so far as to serve me, not own me, not to become addicting. And again, that cycle: the more we use it, the more we feel the need to, to stay updated. 

We also see social media consumption now and we think of being constantly bombarded with news. Coronavirus, American politics, climate change. They are all things that we need to pay attention to, and act on, but we needn’t feel guilty about admitting how this negatively affects our wellbeing. It adds to our energy being sapped, feeling exhausted and down. There’s a lot to deal with and social media is not exactly a positive space.

Obviously there are lots of advantages to social media, and I would never have wanted to go through lockdown without it. The reason I use it so much is because it can provide entertainment, it can be a great comfort, and it can keep us connected with other people. Our loved ones through lockdown, or connecting with communities. It’s been a great way to platform my blog, and I find that can be quite a creative, positive way to use it. My friend Ria, from the blog Matriarch, said that she is using social media more, but that it is 'more for good than mindless scrolling'. It can provide a creative, productive outlet and build and maintain connections with others.

Also, importantly, it helps spread important messages about issues, something she does on her blog, and something we have been seeing more and more of this year. Social media has allowed us to build knowledge, awareness and advocacy around important societal issues, like Black Lives Matter, issues facing refugees, Indian farmers' protests. When I said it can create connection to communities, I also think of the benefits social media has provided in giving me more awareness about mental health issues, including helping me to recognise my own struggles more. There are so many amazing organisations that are so active on social media, for example the organisation Made of Millions. Social media can then provide a platform to help advocate about mental health, too. I've left links to some information on these issues below.

We live in a digital age, so we don't need to pretend that we can only view social media as negative and a space of our lives we can compartmentalise. It is embedded into our lives, so it only makes sense and it is a positive that we have found such beneficial, important and necessary ways to use social media. 

And yet, we can say that both of these things co-exist: that social media can provide so many crucial and beneficial usages, and still lies the problem of getting addicted. And they can co-exist together; I can't deny that through creating this way of promoting my blog, I have created another way of using social media, which, however beneficial it may be, will keep me stuck more, and will have carry the disadvantages of too much social media consumption with it. Although, would I have been doing something else on social media in that time anyway? Probably. 

 

Away from social media lies a battle between doing other things for your own good and having the energy to do them. It’s so much easier said than done, using it less. You are not alone if you feel stuck, if you feel like you know it’s making you feel rubbish but you can’t stop. It’s hard, because on the one hand, we already are giving ourselves such a hard time for everything, so we need to give ourselves a break. It’s just annoying that part of self-care is to monitor your consumption and do other activities. Don't beat yourself up about it, because that will probably not be helpful and may keep you more stuck. But try and keep mindful, and make small changes.

I think it’s way too simple to say: ‘monitor your time’, or ‘try not to go on it as much’. Because we all know it's not that simple, and that’s the whole problem. The closest I would come to something like that is to try and keep mindful, keep aware, and cut down when you feel it doesn’t serve you, but even that’s too hard.

I know it’s easier said than done, but, if indeed it can be having such a negative effect on our mental health and relationships, what’s the alternative to posing solutions and trying?

 

 

Because, although it can give us a harsh reality check through news, the truth is, as Crabbe says: ‘If social media takes all of your time and energy, it’s easy to lose sight of who you are beyond it. Re-invest in the things that make you feel like yourself.’ Social media can bring us away from our reality and our lives, what we should value as important. And this can be the crux of why it makes us feel bad. We get sucked in and miss out on living, doing simple things, connecting with who you are and what you want and being stimulated. 

Maybe the key, then, is to have action, force yourself to do other activities. Because then you also have an alternative rather than just say ‘I’m not going to go on social media’ and be left with a blank space. They can be activities that don’t necessarily require a lot of energy, though that could work as a good opposite action. Drag yourself to do some gentle exercise, go for a walk, do some colouring, bake, talk to people, meet up with a friend, sit on your bed light a candle and breathe, listen to music, do a puzzle, watch a film, watch a series, play with a pet.

And then, the more you balance your time with other activities, even if you only manage to drag yourself away once, the less guilty you will feel when you do use social media, the less of a hard time you’ll give yourself, which should be one of our ultimate goal of all this anyway.

It takes small steps and it's a really difficult thing to break, but next time you find yourself stuck in a social media rut, think about refreshing yourself and your mind before refreshing your timeline.

I know I've touched upon complex, important issues in the context of quite a simple and everyday post, but it's important not to ignore these issues if I'm discussing our use of social media in the last year, and I hope that these links prove useful in providing you with some more information and awareness.

*LINKS*

https://www.saveindianfarmers.org/

https://www.khalsaaid.org/

https://www.mtrrch.com/protecting-indian-farmers

https://theconversation.com/why-indian-farmers-are-so-angry-about-the-modi-governments-agricultural-reforms-154428

https://www.mtrrch.com/resources

https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKwXb9CjCYG/

https://www.madeofmillions.com/

https://www.madeofmillions.com/conditions/obsessive-compulsive-disorder

https://helprefugees.org/