As students, it’s fair to say that we sometimes spend more time on social media, than we do in our faculty lecture theatre. If we’re being honest, it’s all too often that we find ourselves deep in the black hole of Instagram scrolling, or replying to one too many Facebook memes our housemates have tagged us in. Perhaps this isn’t the best use of our time, and neither is it doing our health any good.
It seems normal for us to share our lives online and we often don’t give it a second thought. We’ve grown up in a generation of vloggers, that leave no stone of their daily life unturned. After all, if you didn’t share it on social media, did it really happen? For some of us, the process of adding a new photo to the feed is relatively simple: take a picture, complete it with a caption, let the likes roll in (hopefully). For others, it’s the start of a paralysing comparison competition, as too much time is spent overthinking the words that accompany a highly edited photo, and a paralysing ordeal of seeking validation begins.
To tackle this problem, De Montfort University Leicester started the term with a ‘digital detox’. As part of #HealthyDMU, students and staff were encouraged to switch off their social media and focus their energy into other activities. You mean, other activities exist besides double-tapping and swiping-right? De Montfort organised yoga sessions, meditation master classes and reading groups, to encourage students to spend a little less time online. Although an hour spent in a downward-facing dog position isn’t for everyone, it does highlight what other (potentially more productive) things we could be doing with our time.
With this in mind, it’s time for single-use plastic to take a step back, as there’s a new way to be sustainable (only kidding, let’s keep using our reusable coffee cups people). But, it’s time to tackle social media; clearly it’s here to stay, and so it’s a matter of being conscious and mindful with our consumption. There’s no need to commit ourselves to technological abstinence, or to end our toxic relationship with Instagram. Instead, it’s about using social media in a way that does not control us. It’s about finding a balance.
Join the revolution.
If you haven’t heard of Emma Gannon, Venetia Falconer, Catherine Price and Katherine Ormerod (are you even on social media?), then it’s about time you did. These social media sustainability supporters will have you converted in no time, be sure to give them a follow (that’s after you’ve had your digital detox of course).
Emma Gannon is the queen of our millennial generation, she’s leading the digital revolution towards a sustainable social media future. Her ethos is all about making the internet work for us, which she explores in her book and podcast series, CTRL ALT DELETE. After reading her memoirs and listening to her interviews, I guarantee you’ll want to log off social media (at least for an hour or so).
Venetia Falconer is another mindful consumption advocate, who claims that “the best thing we can do for our health in 2019, is to limit our time online”. Quite frankly, if someone whose job requires them to be online can survive a digital detox, then there’s hope for us all.
Catherine Price is a woman on a mission to help people achieve a better screen/life balance, or as she likes to say “a life in which you control your technology, rather than the other way around”. Last year, she released her book HOW TO BREAK UP WITH YOUR PHONE, so if after reading this article, you are still reaching for your phone, I recommend giving it a read.
Whilst Katherine Ormerod appears to live a seemingly perfect life through the social media lens; the reality is quite different. Despite being a social media influencer and journalist, her recent book WHY SOCIAL MEDIA IS RUINING YOUR LIFE, explains the reasons why it may not be as glamorous as it seems.
Still struggling?
Here are some tips to get you started in your #sustainablesocialmedia journey…
Find your why.
Why do you use social media? Why do you Tweet every day? Why do you have a Facebook account? Finding your ‘why’ encourages you to fill your feed with positivity, as well as making you realise that perhaps the hours spent on social media aren’t as productive as you thought…
Get savage.
It’s time to give your phone a little self-care, so start by deleting the apps that you hardly use and treat yourself to an unfollow spree. A tidy phone equals a tidy mind.
Feed your feed.
After a social media spring clean, it’s time to start following people who inspire you, who motivate you and educate you. Your feed can be whatever you want it to be.
Tech-free boredom.
The time has come to leave your phone outside the bedroom, that way you’ll be less tempted to scroll first thing in the morning, and who knows, maybe you’ll make your 9am lecture on time.
No-to-fications; say no to notifications.
Turn off your notifications, it’s revolutionary, I promise. If someone needs to get hold of you, they will call you. Likewise, not every notification needs to be responded to ASAP. Notifications clutter our screen and unconsciously create stress, well not anymore!
So, it’s not farewell to social media forever, just a see-you-soon. Although it’s become the norm to update our lives via social media regularly, I’m sure I’m not alone it admitting that sometimes I need a break. Although we fear the dreaded FOMO as we choose to switch off, just remember, every day we are missing out on being present when we are under the control of social media. Whether it’s waking up every morning without your phone, scheduling a 24hr detox once a month or deleting that irritating wellness influencer from your life, do something to make your social media more sustainable for you.
[Originally written for @TheUniBubble]