How To Use Social Media So You Don’t Feel Lonely

“In a world of algorithms, hashtags, and followers, know the true importance of human connection.” –Mama Tribe Marketplace

It’s a blessing that Covid 19 hit in 2020 when we have all this wonderful technology to help us stay connected to loved ones. The stress and boredom we feel staying at home can also drive us to use social media in ways that make us feel more lonely and maybe even depressed that our lives don’t match up to our friend’s lives. It’s important to be intentional about we use social media. Social media’s goal to capture and keep your attention so it must be used sparingly and for specific purposes. In times we can’t physically be together we can use it as a means of communication but it’s not a substitute for in-person interactions.

Scrolling through our newsfeeds can be a dangerous time suck. The time spent looking at other people’s lives, advertisements, memes, is time that could be spent learning something new, creating something, or enjoying nature.There are tools and apps that can turn off social media feeds like News Feed Eradicator for Facebook or Block the YouTube feed extensions for Chrome. If you find it irresistible to scroll through your social accounts, using one of these tools helps make your use of these sites purposeful. Here are some ways to use social media to stay connected and feel less lonely:

1. Use Facebook Messenger to converse with friends or use the video chat feature. Facebook video chat works great if you’re talking with people from other countries.
2. Join Facebook Groups. This can be a great way to find like-minded people, local clubs, or network with people that are into similar hobbies or interests.
3. Create Group Boards on Pinterest to share ideas and inspirations.
4. Spotify Group Sessions allows you to collaborate on a playlist and listen to the same playlist. This is feature is available for Premium users. If you’re a music lover it’s worth the $11 each month for Spotify.
5. Direct message people on Instagram or use their video chat feature to connect with loved ones.

Edit your social media accounts and be sure you’re only following people that add value to your life. I recently stopped following fitness Instagram accounts because I realized it was leaving me feeling worse about my body.

Before getting on social media it’s worth asking yourself what are you looking for? Entertainment? Find an educational video to watch or listen to a podcast. Are you looking to connect with others? Be sure that’s what you’re doing and not mindlessly scrolling through a curated newsfeed.

If you find yourself spending too much time on social media, try temporarily deactivating your social media accounts and use that time to pursue your interests and curiosities.

Social media competes for the precious and finite resources of time and attention, spend them wisely.

Read more: Are You Using Social Media or is Social Media Using You? by Cal Newport