Creating a Positive Social Media Space for Yourself
We have a love hate relationship with social media from time to time, right? Most of me loves it. Social media helps you keep in touch with loved ones and follow inspirational people. From a blogging perspective, social media platforms are also incredible tools. My blogging journey has led to a fascination with all things digital marketing. However, a part of me knows there will sadly be some negativity. It might be a controversial post or annoying comment (aah the joy of Instagram bots). You may just be scrolling through your Instagram feed and think “I’m not sure that following this person is right for me anymore”. It is times like this when it is important to take a step back and reevaluate your social media use. It is a sign you need to take back control of your platforms and create a positive social media space that suits you. One that you feel benefits you, allows you to connect with friends, and enjoy your favourite content, without the extra ‘noise’.
Time to Unfollow
When I say unfollow, I’m not talking about the old follow/unfollow behaviour. We have seen this on social media for far too long. I would never encourage following and unfollowing for the sake of statistics.
BUT IT IS OK TO UNFOLLOW ANY ACCOUNTS WHICH NEGATIVELY IMPACT YOU.
When you have had enough of seeing someone’s content on your feed, it is ok to unfollow. It is ok to even block them (plus the IG bots too). If it feels necessary for your wellbeing and to maintain a positive social media space, then do not feel afraid to do so.
What if I like someone’s content, but it is just not for me at the moment?
Muting! You can follow someone but mute their content from their timeline if things ever start to get a bit too much.
Likewise, on Twitter you can turn off retweets to fine tune your feed more.
A Form of Self-Care
I saw Vix Meldrew tweet about this, but remember that unfollowing/blocking/muting is just a form of self-care. It is about looking after your mental health, especially during the weird times we are currently experiencing. You deserve to have a happy and safe online space, and knowing there are ways to have that is important.
On the other side…don’t be afraid to follow people!
When you are a blogger or small business owner, it may seem like from a branding perspective that you should only be following other bloggers or business owners.
If there is ever a time to do something for you and your mental health, it is now.
While unfollowing accounts is important, don’t forget that you can follow people whose content you love, even if they are not linked to your niche. If they bring you happiness and a smile to your face when you go on social media, then that is the most important thing.
You may have a favourite celebrity, TV show, or funny meme account (trying to think outside the box here). Don’t worry about it not fitting in with the rest of your content, just do it for you.
Some accounts I am loving right now are the Friends (TV show) account and Miranda Hart, simply because their content is full of joy.
I also love quote accounts such as Ohverlee. You get that extra boost of motivation when you open Instagram.
Find Your Platform
With social media, don’t feel like you have to be on every platform. Take the time to work out which ones you enjoy the most and stick with them, rather than forcing yourself to be on everything.
Join a Blogging Community
Disclaimer: The following section contains affiliate links. Please see my disclaimer for more details.
A great way to inject positivity into social media is to join a membership or community site, such as Grow and Glow, which has a private Facebook group just for members. Grow and Glow just celebrated their first birthday and there’s a reason I have been a member for a whole year. Everyone is so friendly and supportive. There are personal development benefits, as well as blogging.
You can join Grow and Glow here if you haven’t already, 100% recommend.
A final word…
It is entirely feasible to make social media a positive, fun, and an all round good place to be. You have the power to decide the content you see. Take control and enjoy social media platforms as a way to connect with the people you care about, and see content which you love.
