Engaging with Purpose in Digital Spaces
We had two fresh starts this week, with a New Moon and a new month beginning. I hope you feel refreshed and ready to move, because the First Quarter Moon coming up is our sign to leap into action, and leap we will!
We use social media in so many ways, and it can be a place for amazing connection and learning, but a lot of times we feel like we’re at the mercy of algorithms or find nothing but stressful content that is made to evoke emotional reactions from us just to make us interact. “Bait” posts are pretty common online, where people lie or say outrageous things that they don’t believe just to get people to respond to them.
When digital spaces become places of unrest and tension, it can draw us in in unhealthy ways, yet we often know that we shouldn’t be consuming that kind of content, and we try to leave or create distance. Sometimes it works, but other times we don’t have the option to leave social media forever, so learning to make the digital spaces you’re in more positive and nurturing for you is key.
Let’s jump into our step-by-step plan for mindfully making social media a place where we can connect and share and thrive!
Identify Your Purpose
You need to know what you want to gain on a specific social media platform (and if you’re like me, even on specific accounts). What is your reason for opening the app? Do you want to learn from peers in the industry, share something with your followers, find a new friend? Make a list of all the platforms/accounts you usually use, and write down why you go into that digital space.
This is your focus, and you want to have this list somewhere you can access it easily, so you can remind yourself constantly to be intentional with your social media time.
Set Your Intentions Consistently
Every time you open a social media app or type twitter.com into your browser window (me at least 10x a day), try to remember the purpose you wrote down for that digital space. Think of it as taking a breath and preparing to walk into a bustling party - get your bearings before going in or you might get overwhelmed and lost.
One way that I like reminding myself is by using shortcuts on my home page instead of the apps themself (I think this only works on iPhone, sorry Android friends!). This lets me name the shortcut the intention that I set for that app, so when I open Instagram, I see “Connect and Learn” on my screen. It’s like placing a sign on the door ahead of time so that I never walk in unprepared.
If you don’t have a way to do that for each time you open the app, try just doing it once at the beginning of the day! Take deep breaths and remind yourself that the digital spaces you visit today will be intentional and you will gain something positive from each visit.
Curation and Creation
You can’t complete control your digital spaces, but there’s a lot you can do to clean it up that you might not even know! On Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram, you can add keywords that you want to mute or hide, so that you don’t see them. If you see a post you really don’t like, you can tell the app you’re not interested. And of course, you can be intentional about who you follow and interact with so that your space is more likely to be a positive one. Of course stuff falls through the cracks sometimes, but overall, these changes can keep your social media feeds the inspiring place that you want them to be.
We also want to be mindful of the content we share online. Social media is an energetic exchange, and you want to be putting out content that brings in the people you want to interact with. Even if you’re not making much content but just interacting with other people’s posts, be sure that what you say is authentic and shows people who you are and what you’re there for. Foster positive connections rather than engaging in fights or drama, and aim to uplift if your goal is to be uplifted.
Monitor Your Energy
Luckily some apps have implemented reminders when users have been on the app for a long time, but you don’t want to depend on those to manage your time. Even if the interactions you have online are positive and you’re learning things and connecting with amazing people, you do still need to leave the party at some point.
If you’re someone who gets stuck on social media for long periods of time, try setting some boundaries for your time online. You can set app time limits on most smart phones, and web browsers have apps like BlockSite that do the same, blocking you from using certain sites while you’re doing something else. You can also just set alarms for an impromptu scroll sesh, to insure that you’re balancing online and offline time effectively.
Questions to ask yourself this week:
How can I find balance and moderation in my social media use? What tools and skills can I use to create meaningful and authentic content?
Next week we celebrate the Full Moon with a guided meditation of reflection and gratitude for these digital spaces. Try to take one small action towards building an intentional relationship with social media this week, and let me know how it goes!
Originally on Substack
