Video Transcription
ONLINE WORLD: Taking control of your platform
Oh, so I woke up this morning and went for my morning scroll.
“Nice! Where did you walk?”
“Scroll, not stroll. But seriously, I found myself getting super bummed out. Like, don’t get me wrong, there was some great stuff, but I don’t know, just a lot of it made me feel really down.”
“Yeah, I totally understand that. It can be so hard to stop scrolling, even though we know it’s not helping us.”
“Yeah, like you find yourself comparing yourself to others, like, wow, I wish I looked like that, or man, I wish I lived in a place with views like that.”
“Right. But I’m gonna let you in on something that totally blew my mind.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“Okay, are you ready? So, every piece of content that pops up in our feed, we choose to see. And if it’s something that we don’t like, we can choose not to see it by changing up who and what we follow. So maybe it’s time to replace that account that constantly makes you feel lousy and swap it for that perfect meme account that just makes your day every time.”
“You love a good meme! Wait, but you’re saying you don’t feel the need to compare yourself?”
“No, I’m not saying that. I’m just saying it’s really cool that on these platforms, we can take control. We can shape who we want to be, how we represent ourselves online, and also the types of messages that we see too.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“Now, I’m not saying there are no risks in the online world because it can definitely affect our mental health negatively. For example, if we’re cyberbullied, exposed to distressing content, or excluded. And there can be a temptation to prioritize popularity—having a lot of likes and follows. But the most important thing to remember is to create a social media space that feels safe, healthy, and uplifting. We all have the choice to take control of our online platforms.”
“Okay, but if it’s so easy to fall into a vortex of doom scrolling and comparing ourselves, how do we actually do that?”
“Hot tip number one: Be aware of your audience. Not everyone in our networks might have our best interests in mind. If someone’s doing something you don’t like, it’s important to use the tools, such as muting, turning off comments, blocking, restricting your audience, and reporting, to set your boundaries. When you think about it, would you just walk up to any random stranger on the street and ask their opinion on what you look like or how you spend your time? Just hand them a random photo of yourself and ask if they like it?”
“Probably not. That’d be super weird.”
“Exactly. That’s why social media has these tools—and they’re there to be used.
Hot tip number two: Make your online time more purposeful. This one’s one of my favourites because, any time before I jump on a device, I like to take a mental note of why I’m going on there. Am I checking for directions, looking at the weather, or replying to a message? If I stop paying attention, before I know it, I’ve sunk half an hour jumping between apps and totally absorbed whatever mood the content puts me in.”
“Totally.”
“By keeping these questions in mind, I find I can make my time online so much more meaningful rather than just getting stuck in that pointless scrolling we all know too well.
Hot tip number three: Be wary of the social media seesaw. Even when we’re clear on how we want to feel, the opposite might end up actually happening. It can be kind of like we’re stuck on a seesaw we can’t control.”
“Yeah, and we can’t control it because it all depends on who’s on the other side.”
“Exactly. Like, maybe I’m looking to be uplifted but end up bombarded with content that brings me down. Or maybe I’m looking for validation but wind up with a bunch of negative comments. It’s important that, if we notice this dynamic, we make an effort to break the cycle. Maybe that looks like changing to a new online activity, taking a break, talking to a friend, going for a walk, or reflecting on what your real needs are.
By taking control of our online platforms, we really are taking back total power of the online world. At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that we control our online devices—they don’t control us.”
“For now.”
“Wait, what?”
Video by Project Rockit
