Without any specifics, I am old enough to remember the start of social media. For those of you who are too young, it was a lot of fun.
I was able to reach out to people from my life I didn’t live near, like family members and friends from high school and college. I even made new friends from places in the world I had never been!
It was fun catching up and seeing how everyone was doing. I got to share things that were going on in my life in real-time. No more waiting for phone calls, letters, or reunions. The world had gotten a little smaller, in a good way.
Then, everything changed…
A new feature called the social media algorithm took over. It started populating my feed with what it “thought” I wanted to see. People started disappearing. Their posts might not show up for days, if at all.
I expressed anger and frustration through shared posts and comments, as did many others. Magically, I got more posts just like the unhappy ones I was interacting with. Then, advertising boomed, and it was all over my feed. It made me feel like I’d lost control of it. I didn’t want to be on social media anymore; it wasn’t fun.
I didn’t stay off for too long. I realized I still liked all the things that got me interested in social media in the first place. Also, I manage some social media pages, so I couldn’t just walk away.
Instead, I did some homework and learned how the algorithms work. Social media algorithms follow rules based on what we, the users, do on the platforms. This means we’re still in charge.
We can get social media to send us more of what we really want. While we can’t get rid of advertising-capitalism is alive and well in social media land-we can simply scroll past it.
The algorithms pay attention to what you spend the most time on. Watching lots of videos and reels? You’ll get more of those. Reading a steady diet of news? You’ll get that too.
If you’re not getting what you want in your feeds, there are five easy, and even fun, tips to turn things around. Read on and reclaim your social media pages.
Define Your Interests
What do you want from social media? Whether it’s positivity, hobbies or professional content, getting clear on your interests helps you get more of what you want in your feed.
Follow Relevant Pages and People
Actively seek out and follow pages and people that align with your interests. Use social media search engines to find content that resonates with how you want to feel. Hashtags like #happiness, #positivity, or #creativity can help you discover new and inspiring content. Engage with these posts by liking, commenting and sharing to signal the algorithm to show you more of the same. Include friends and family, as interacting with their posts will ensure they regularly appear in your feeds.
Unfollow or Mute Negative Content
To reduce negativity, unfollow or mute accounts that don’t contribute positively to your feed. Most platforms offer options to unfollow without unfriending, or mute posts from certain people, ensuring you only see content that uplifts you.
Spend More Time on Desired Content
Social media algorithms pay attention to how much time you spend on different types of content. The more time you spend on a page or watching videos vs reading posts, the more the algorithm will show you similar content. If you want more positivity in your feed, spend more time with positive content.
Get Out and Live Life
Make memorable moments by living your life! Spend more time with family and friends. Go have experiences. The world is an amazing place filled with wonderful people. Occasionally, take some pictures or videos of life being good and post it. People do want to know how you’re doing. The bonus is, people interacting with your positive posts, will turn their feeds around too.
The power of the algorithm is in your hands. Get it working for you by filling your feeds with the things that turn your soul on. Spend time making memories, whether you share them or not. It’s your life, enjoy living it.
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