Moderation is Key. Social media is not good or bad. We chose what to turn it into.

May I suggest an alternative for moderating social media? The key is to decide what you are going to use your electronic devices for.

Quick Activity

Grab a pen and paper and write down all of the electronic devices you use. Then below each device write what you NEED to use that electronic device for.

Next, write out all the different forms of social media that you use.

Then, go back and decide which device you will use each of these forms of social media on. If there is a form of social media that you use more than you want, look at which device you use it on most and change it to a different device. Make a commitment to only use it on that device.

Two years ago I made a conscious decision that I wouldn’t look at Facebook on my phone for 6 months. 6 months has turned into 2 years. I stand by this being one of the best helps for moderating social media in my life.

Focus on what you will use each device you have for, and stick with that commitment.

I use my phone for contacting people, answering questions, navigation, and reading. I will even use Instagram and Pinterest occasionally because those forms of media are not traps for my time. I don’t find myself missing out on important activities in life because I was staring at a phone.

Social media isn’t inherently bad. We are all just learning how to moderate a fairly new thing. Find what works for you.

Additional Helps

Set a limit on the amount of posts you will look through.

One issue we have with social media is that there is no one to limit to our viewing. Find and put specific limits in place and commit to the limits you’ve made.

Here is what works for me

FACEBOOK: I’ve found that the first 3 posts keep me updated on what matters most on Facebook.

YOUTUBE: I limit myself to watch videos for 30 minutes max. Making note of future videos I want to watch tomorrow.

INSTAGRAM: I only follow people I am really interested in seeing what they have to post. That way I don’t have a lot of posts to read through before I’ve seen everything there is to see. If there is someone who is posting stuff i’m no longer interested in and they are taking up a lot of space in my feed, I will un-follow them.

TLDR

Make a goal of learning how to set limits with social media instead of just quitting social media. We are the first generations that have been exposed to these new forms of technology. The key is not to beat ourselves up but to learn how to moderate it.