Feed-Frenzy: Finding Focus on Social Media
How I tamed the social media monster and lived to tell the tale (with a little help from James Clear)
Ok, a real incident
Prachi: Hey, what are some good sites that you refer to stay updated on current affairs..worldwide”
Me: Instagram
Prachi: Hein??
It's a productivity tool, a mental-health tool, and a personal-growth tool. I can see you don’t agree fully. Let me show it to you?
A little backstory
I was hooked on the big four like a fish on a line: Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and LinkedIn. And you know who I blame? My career in consumer marketing, that's who. One might even call it an occupational hazard.
I had tried everything from digital detox to total uninstall, but nothing worked. Then this phenomenon hit corporate offices: James Clear's "Atomic Habits" book was in everyone’s hands. So I also picked one up.
His advice about changing your environment to change your habits really resonated with me, especially when it comes to social media.
My Feed-Curation Journey
Changing our environment on social media would mean changing what I get in my feeds.
After 5 years of hide-n-seek, I returned full-time to Facebook with a mission to curate my feed. I unfollowed everyone, from friends to family, even my own parents (this had consequences such as the need to feign awareness of recent travel or a kitty party). I also started marking every ad as “inappropriate”.
Then I followed the things I really liked. Now my feed is a blissful escape, filled with cute pet videos, travel views, and plant pages. Facebook, with its curated feed, is my emotional first aid kit.
When it comes to Twitter, I found a lot of unexpected voices on the platform. Thought leaders, businessmen, and monks My local governor and even the traffic police commissioner are active here. And brands are on high alert for customer support complaints.
I unfollowed most of my "friends" who don’t share anything and started following thoughtful people who share nuggets of wisdom. I discovered Naval Ravikant on Twitter, so it’s a big win already.
I missed the bus on Instagram initially. But I slowly caught up by signing up during lockdown, trying to make sense of the platform, and figuring out what it was good for.
Videos? But I get them on Youtube
Short Videos? Those are synonyms of doom-scrolling
Pictures from my acquaintances? No, thanks. Enough FOMO already
Updates from close friends? I would rather get them 1-1 on whatsapp
After a rocky start, Instagram and I finally hit it off thanks to a chance encounter with James Clear there. And as luck would have it, I also discovered some stellar physical publications like "The Mint" and "Daily Art" which are absolutely slaying the platform with their content. Their graphics are pure art, and their reels are like a mini-lesson on the latest concepts.
So, I made a bold move: I unfollowed everyone else and started following only the newspapers and authors I adore.
However, Chris Voss, author of the book, "Never Split the Difference," surprised me on Instagram. Well, I guess you could say Chris Voss took the "social" in social media a bit too literally! I mean, come on, Chris, we signed up for negotiation tips, not your vacation pics. I had to unfollow him after a particularly cringe-worthy post.
LinkedIn is a whole different beast. It's the only platform where I can find professional advice in abundance. However, its feed can be a mess to navigate. I thought I would apply the same strategy to other platforms. But I underestimated this platform’s lack of features to do so.
Unfollowing 12000 contacts one-by-one was backbreaking. After 5 hours and just 1000 unfollows, I gave up. Now, I just unfollow on the go. Also, I intentionally followed 20+ accounts that I wanted to see more of - content just right for my career stage, domain, and industry.
Timing is everything
I open a particular platform only at a particular time of the day. This happened organically because my mind was tuned to consume one type of content during that time of day. For example, newspapers have been consumed at the breakfast table, not at night.
In the early morning, I want to read motivational stuff to set the tone of the day, so I open Twitter.
During my morning office-commute, I want to consume advice that is floating in my domain - so I open Linkedin
During lunch hours and the resulting lazy hours, I want to relax and see what’s going on around the world.
During the night, I wind down by watching cute dog videos on Facebook.
This allows for a more efficient use of time and ensures that each platform serves a specific purpose.
Re-Curation
I revise the curation every few months, unfollow pages that no longer interest me, and follow new folks who have started putting out good content. Following “Culture Tutor” on Twitter was part of one such re-curation drive in 2022.
This was my journey to convert a potentially harmful technology to my advantage. By being intentional with my social media use, I can now avoid mindless scrolling and create a more positive online experience.
What are some of your hacks for social media? Please let me know in the comments.
P.S.
I recommend the below pages and accounts
Helen for rural living experiences: https://twitter.com/thetruehelen
Taleb for unfiltered views: https://twitter.com/TalebWisdom
Rob for book highlights: https://twitter.com/robkhenderson
Leo Ariel for travel inspiration: https://www.instagram.com/lxoariel/
Daily Art for art knowledge and memes: https://www.instagram.com/dailyartmagazine/
Rajan Singh for career and life advice: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajansingh96/
Astrid's non-dreadful diet tips: https://www.instagram.com/antidiet_dietitian/
Groups/pages I follow:
Gardening for stress relief: https://www.facebook.com/groups/945978689255337/
View from your window for worldwide pics: https://www.facebook.com/groups/286866152596429/