PSA: Scrolling endlessly as you’re lying in bed at midnight won’t make your world any less scary and you’re not going to solve all the problems* in our country.
*You know the problems, I won’t waste your time listing them all here.
The answer that you’re hoping to come across as you scroll into the AM hours isn’t there. You’re not going to stumble upon a magical solution to everything. You’re just straining your eyes, setting yourself up for disappointment and a terrible night’s sleep. Maybe a headache in the morning, too.
You know the feeling. That little glimmer of hope in the back of your mind that somehow you’re going to find an explanation if you keep on scrolling. The explanation you’re so desperately searching for as you filter through headlines.
One horrific image after another. White supremacists sitting in the Senate chamber for their photo-op, the eerie evening photo of the Capitol building clouded with tear gas smoke, and mobs of rioters in the rotunda. A space that I remember being so quiet and immaculate when I visited D.C. a couple years ago with my sister. We entered the building through security – not by scaling the walls. We took selfies as tourists – not as rioters. We wore backpacks full of snacks, extra memory cards for my camera, and our Metro passes. Not a backpack full of zip ties. My arms were so tired because my camera was heavy after walking an average of 8 miles everyday, not because I marched into the Capitol with a Trump 2020 flag on my shoulder and body amour.
News has a way of ruining social media for all of us. It’s like the car wreck scene. You wish you wouldn’t look, but you can’t help yourself. A major occurrence happens in our country and my first instinct is to check Twitter. It’s really the only time I use it. I binge the constant updates from news sources, political figures, and people on the scene seeing things unfold. I can’t put my phone down. I can’t turn the news off. Have you felt this way, too?
It’s called Doomscrolling {or Doomsurfing} and it’s a serious problem.
It really started to take shape in the spring of 2020 when the stay-at-home orders began. I love the way Kevin Roose of The New York Times put it:
“I’ve been doing a lot of this kind of doomsurfing recently — falling into deep, morbid rabbit holes filled with coronavirus content, agitating myself to the point of physical discomfort, erasing any hope of a good night’s sleep. Maybe you have, too.”
Yep. Nailed it.
I also came across this point made by Mesfin Bekalu, a research scientist at the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness at Harvard’s T. H. Chan School of Public Health. He notes that while a lot of the news is bad, “as humans we have a ‘natural’ tendency to pay more attention to negative news.” This, along with social media algorithms pushing out trending topics, makes doomscrolling and its impacts on our mental health almost inevitable.
On top of all the news, you’re getting bombarded with discussions happening on your feed. Maybe you know these people, maybe you don’t. Some are friends, relatives, co-workers, but some are just viral posts and you don’t even know anyone involved. No matter what the discussion is, you form an opinion. You might agree or disagree. You might find yourself typing a response and then quickly deleting it. You thought for a moment that sharing your opinion would help the situation, but then you realize you will only make things worse. Problems aren’t solved in a never-ending thread of ugly comments and the constant sharing of false and dangerous information.
At that moment, you finally just put your phone down and take a deep breath, wondering how long you’ve spent scrolling.
Now you’re mad at yourself because you’re in a worse mood than when you started. How is that even possible. You looked for a solution that you couldn’t find. You’re still confused and desperate for someone to just tell you everything’s going to be alright. But you’re angry, sad, and hopeless.
Damn you Facebook, I should have just watched an episode of New Girl or The Great British Baking Show.
I may not have a solution for everything that’s happening in our country, but I (and you) can take personal steps to build a healthier mindset with social media and the news. It all starts with one person, right? We hear over and over again that change starts at home and I am 100% behind that belief.
Where it gets a little tricky for me personally is that social media is my job. Starting with my college internship, I’ve worked in social media marketing with every professional role I’ve had. Then I started my own business. I can’t just delete my social media accounts, and I honestly don’t want to anyway. I love social media. It’s the most powerful marketing tool we have. It’s also an incredible way to easily connect with family and friends all over the world. I even planned the majority of my destination wedding through Instagram.
If you’re not using social media for your business and you’re using it for a personal account, you may find another blog I wrote very helpful. I discuss how to have a healthier mindset with social media. Setting tech boundaries with your phone is a huge step you need to take to control impulsive social media usage. Check out that blog for more helpful tips.
Now for my fellow social media marketers, business owners, and personal brands who are looking for ways to move forward on Facebook and Instagram…
What should I post? Should I make a statement? Should I share my opinion? Sometimes we question if anything we’re doing on social media even matters.
Don’t let the negativity of the news cycle put a damper on your content. Remember that the most powerful way you can use social media is to share value with your audience. It’s your job to flood your feed with positivity, education, and relatable content.
Also remember that many things happening today are NOT political. They are just being politicized because of the deep divide in our country. Wearing a mask to protect yourself and those around you isn’t political. Defending black lives isn’t political. Standing up for groups of people who face discrimination and hate crimes daily is not political. These are just the right things to do. Human lives are at stake here. These are human rights topics and you SHOULD care. If you have the energy to post about your latest sale or offer, you should consider re-routing that energy into a meaningful post that tells your audience you aren’t living under a rock in a land of rainbows and butterflies acting like nothing is going on.
Don’t know what to say? That’s fine. No one is expecting you to have the perfectly polished words of an eloquent political or notable figure. There are plenty of educators, experts, and thought leaders out there to learn from. If you come across something that speaks to you and you want to share it, credit them and explain how they broke down a complicated topic in a way that you often struggle to find the right words.
People are scrolling for a solution, remember what I said at the beginning of this blog? So here’s my solution for you:
What problem can you solve for someone today?
What can you teach someone?
How can you put positivity into the world?
If you have a solution to someone’s problem, you belong in this space.
If you have a secret that can make someone’s life easier, share it. You belong in this space.
If you sell a product or offer a service that people are looking for and that people need, you belong in this space.
If you are an artist, musician, or a writer, you belong in this space. We need you.
It’s also important to remove yourself from 24/7 social media and put effort into other platforms that can compliment your business. For example, I started this blog as a space to share information that I care about and I know it can help you in some way. I also started journaling. Everytime I want to pick up my phone for no reason, I’m training myself to pick up my journal instead.
Social media is way more than just the news. It’s an online space to connect.
Social media is more than a marketing channel, it’s where you can build your brand and create relationships.
Everyone wants an answer to their problems.
Be the answer for someone scrolling today.
