The advancements in technology within the last few decades have completely revolutionised our world. Now we can speak to friends and family thousands of miles away, watch videos on demand and interact with people that we have never even met before.
Technology also paved the way for the creation of various social media apps like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram which we all love and adore. Most of the time, these are positive spaces where we can create, share and support content with the world. It also has enabled thousands of people to create livelihoods and give people more choice when it comes to watching, reading, and listening to content.
However, whilst it has made us feel more connected and has made many positive changes within society, it is important to use social media in a way that is in benefit to us as individuals. Especially as you are blossoming into an independent, innovative, intelligent and beautiful young woman, you must feed your mind with the right things.
Believe it or not, the tens of videos and images you are exposed to either adds or takes away from you as a person. The things we see and hear instills itself within our conscious and/or subconscious minds which can later affect the way we think about ourselves and other people.
That is why you must question the type of content you are consuming; here are the three main types:
This is the type of content you mainly wish to consume. This is the type which helps you improve an aspect of your life.
An example would be a video that informs you about how to get into your desired career/industry, a video about protective hairstyles or even one about the tips and tricks to live an eco-friendlier lifestyle.
This type of content isn’t necessarily good or bad to consume however, since it doesn’t add to your life positively, you don’t want this to be the main type of content you see.
For example Memes (I love them too but, I’m sorry it’s just the truth)
This is the type of content you should stay away from. It is quite difficult to give an example because everyone has a different definition of what ‘negative content’ is. But essentially, it is content that triggers negative emotions and feelings.
Without a doubt, the most ideal type of content is ‘Positive Content’ because it will aid you in your journey to self-improvement. So please try to ensure that most of the things you see fit into this category and to do that, you need to understand how social media algorithms work.
According to HopperHQ, the social media algorithm can be defined as ‘Calculations used to determine the content to show you based on your interests, activity and interactions on the platform’. That means that Instagram and Twitter use your data to make predictions about what new videos/images you will like to see. So if it recognises that you always like images of puppies, next time it will recommend kittens in the hopes that you would like those pictures too. That is why it is important to pay attention to the things you engage with.
To make sure that most of the content recommended by the algorithm are positive ones, here are a few steps you can take.
A few months ago, I saw social media as a place to waste time. When I got bored, I would spend 30 minutes watching random TikTok videos. Don’t get me wrong, although most of it was ‘Neutral content’, it was still somewhat harmful because I could have been more productive.
Then I came up with a bright idea to find a healthy balance. Instead of deleting the app, I gave it a new purpose and it transformed from a place to save me from boredom to a place to learn in a fun and unconventional way.
After changing its purpose, I searched for people who produced content that fulfilled that purpose. For instance, I followed people who used these hashtags and here is why:
#Frenchlessons – Since I am learning French, I wanted to build my vocabulary but in a fun and creative way.
#Fashion – I am currently exploring new fashion styles to establish my fashion style.
#Christiantiktok – As a Christian trying to strengthen my faith, I wanted to follow other Christians who would share bible scriptures.
Once I did this, the algorithm did most of the work for me by recommending content that fitted into these categories. See, it wasn’t too bad of an idea, right? Little changes like that can make such a big difference!
Unless you feel like it is absolutely necessary, you don’t need to delete social media and completely disappear. Instead, you just need to be more intentional when it comes to picking the content you watch. Make social media work on your side and for the better. Follow people who you look up to, people who are on a similar journey as you and people who are wholesome. This will ensure you are constantly feeding your mind with ‘positive content’ which will help you grow and become the best you can be.
So with that being said, I have a challenge for you. For one month, change the purpose of social media and consume content that is beneficial to you!
