I used to always tell people how much I hated social media.
The doom-scrolling, the brain fog, the endless comparisons – traps that made my mundane day feel even worse than it already was.
But as I’ve gained more perspective, I’ve realised social media was never the problem.
The problem was my relationship with it.
My life changed when I started using social media as a tool for creation, rather than consumption.
You and I both know how much power these platforms can have over us.
But this power can be harnessed in a way that benefits your life, instead of destroying it.
I think that having the ability to do this is one of the most valuable skills of the modern day.
Let me tell you how I’m doing it, so you can too.
Yes, Social Media Is Too Good To Be True
“Nothing vast enters the life of mortals without a curse.”
Sophocles
I’m not writing this to tell you how bad social media is (for most of us), because you already know that.
But we often forget just how dumb we are and just how powerful social media is.
Let me ask you a question.
Why do you think social media is free?
Because your attention span is worth far more than any one-time payment or subscription charge.
Have you noticed how many advertisements have snuck their way onto your feed recently?
The conscious mind isn’t very active during the mouth-gaping, mind-numbing doom-scroll, so I won’t blame you for not being aware of this.
On Instagram, for example, it’s not uncommon for there to be two ads in a row during a scroll.
YouTube is almost unusable without an ad-blocker.
Reddit has an ad every sixth or so post.
Hell, even Facebook now has unskippable video ads in the newsfeed.
Yeah, you’re not paying with money.
But you’re paying with something far more valuable.
Your time, your attention-span, and your brain-power.
Whenever something seems too good to be true, remember this:
“If you’re not paying for the product, then you are the product.”
Daniel Höverman
Using Social Media To Your Advantage
It’s true, social media prays on our innate human nature – our addictive tendencies, our cravings for validation and cheap dopamine boosts.
But there is one human trait that it cannot beat.
Our ability to consciously choose whether or not we engage in something.
Even with the incredible power these platforms possess, you and I can still choose whether we let it destroy our lives, or drastically improve our lives.
How cool is that?!
We can flip the script and make social media work for us.
Here’s how I’m doing it:
1. Leveraging Social Media for Personal Growth
“A river of material flows through us. When we share our works and our ideas, they are replenished. If we block the flow by holding them all inside, the river cannot run and new ideas are slow to appear.”
Rick Rubin
Since opening an X (Twitter) account at the beginning of the year, my tweets have reached more than 700,000 people.
That is wild.
I touched briefly on the importance of building a ‘personal brand’ in this article.
But in short, a personal brand is a brand built upon your thoughts and ideas as an individual, which are then spread across a public domain.
As a writer, I chose X because it’s the easiest platform for a writer to publish content.
If you’re a videographer or photographer, you might choose TikTok or Instagram.
Either way, what are the chances of your work being seen by 700,000 people in six months, without social media?
Pretty damn slim.
I get it, it’s tough to start posting online.
People will disagree with you, you’ll probably feel embarrassed, and it might take months before anyone actually sees your content.
But every person who has created something great started from zero.
It would be crazy to assume these same limitations don’t apply to you.
Social media gives you a platform to explore creative ideas.
If they don’t work, what’s the consequence?
People will scroll past it.
But if they do work, what’s the benefit?
Well… that may just change your life.
Again, flip the script.
Make social media work for you by using it as a tool for creation, rather than consumption.
2. Controlling the Algorithm & Curating Your Feed
Sometimes these social media algorithms have a mind of their own.
But, most of the time, they don’t.
There’s a good chance that if your social media feeds are filled with brain-dead, meaningless content, it’s because you’ve been engaging the wrong way.
It’s pretty easy to curate your feed these days.
Again, this is making social media work for you.
You have to be intentional about what you engage with.
Only like, comment and share content that uplifts, educates and genuinely interests you.
The more you engage with this content, the more the algorithm will prioritise similar posts in your feed.
And guys, do your best to resist the half-naked women.
Just a few clicks on those photos and Instagram, or whatever app you’re using, will start bombarding your feed with that poison.
Your brain is already sexualised enough – try not to add to it.
3. Use Social Media To Make Friends
This.
This is the biggest one.
Make social media social again!!!!!
Somewhere along the way, social media transitioned from a tool for making and maintaining friendships, to a platform for popularity contests.
I don’t mind the latter – popularise yourself to your little heart’s content…
But we can’t forget about its original intention.
Social media actually used to be social.
Remember logging on to catch up with what your friends were doing, making fun of their latest pointless status update and annoying them with the 7th Facebook poke of the day?
Now we log on to numb our minds.
I enjoy using X because engagement is paramount for growth and people post personal, authentic content.
I’ve now got genuine connections with people from all over the world and plan to actually visit some of them when I travel… isn’t this amazing??
When we talk about the power of social media, it’s often in the negative sense.
But the fact that I can be myself, post content I enjoy, and make friends with people in Europe, Asia and America from the comfort of my bedroom… that is powerful.
Whatever platform you choose to use, I guarantee there is a community of people that are waiting to hear from you, even if you (and they) don’t know it yet.
Create the thing.
Post the thing.
