Conscious Consumption: The Key to Positive Social Media

- Beckie Mossor, BIS, RVT

Throughout the pandemic, social media has been a connection to the outside world in a time of isolation. Three hundred sixteen million new users went online in 2020 (Kemp, 2021), and social media gained 490 million unique users, an average of 1.3 million new users a day (Kemp, 2021).

In this virtual assembly of users, there is no shortage of social media groups, forums, pages and FYP (for your page) videos for veterinary professionals. There are places for those feeling overwhelmed, needing inspiration, sharing memes, seeking support, job hunting and learning resources aplenty. There are private pages, public pages, hidden groups, group chats, feeds and snaps. Some raise funds; some raise awareness; some raise eyebrows. They are all a blip in the social media universe.

What passes through a screen in the blink of an eye can have lasting impacts, especially on the mental and emotional health of the consumer. An increasing number of studies focus on the adverse effects of social media, but a smaller body of study is researching social media’s positive mental health effects. With mindful consumption and distribution of content, social media can offer positive results for users.

RISK AND REWARDS

The diversity of social media-based groups and pages disseminates a wealth of knowledge, gives space for question-and-answer discussions, and offers the opportunity to learn from thousands of individuals in the profession in an easy-to-access, searchable space.

In addition, there now exists the ability to rapidly crowdsource everything from images to protocols and easy access to research files that compile evidence-based research easily accessible and less vast than the search engine-based scholarly article searches. With confidence and ease, we can improve our practices and improve patients’ lives and even our teams. But through the nature of balance, the good comes with the bad.

Unfortunately, the positive side of the opportunity to connect and share social and professional similarities and belonging also gives rise to the negative aspects of social media. Everything from FOMO (fear of missing out) to online bullying and shaming has become a reality of social relationships and networking online. Studies have even shown that an “aggressive, emotional state can be contagious through textual mimicry” (Kwon & Anatoliy, 2017).

When Facebook reduced the positive expressions on a sample group of user’s feeds, there was a resulting decrease in positive posts and increased negative posts. When the opposite was applied, an opposite pattern occurred. Challenging previously held notions, “in-person interactions and nonverbal cues are not strictly necessary for emotional contagion” (Kramer, Guillory, & Hancock, 2014).

Just as one protects their physical and emotional health through daily care, it is becoming equally important to consciously consume positivity and avoid harmful content contributing to an unhealthy mindset.

CONSCIOUS CONSUMPTION

Understanding that the tone of the content consumed can influence content output, one can take steps to strive for purposeful, conscious social media consumption. Simply put, garbage in, garbage out. That goes for body and mind. It may be challenging to recognize the contribution of social media to mental fatigue.

Constant information and communication can be exhausting on the mind. Several aspects of social media contribute to the negative emotions or impacts felt during or after consumption. Personal, professional, and relationship comparisons as well as conflicts with personal and professional self on social media platforms and peer pressures can contribute to the less desirable effects of social media use (McGaffney, 2019).

Conscious consumption of social media is about being present and mindful in your choices of what social media you consume and even how it is consumed. Practicing conscious consumption of social media can enhance the positive benefits of social media, feeling connected, social well-being, and decrease of time and geographic barriers (Bekalu, McCloud, & Viswanath, 2019).

But in doing so, conscious consumption requires decreased use of social media for distraction purposes and to increase the presence of mind and consciousness during consumption (Tethr, 2020).

CLEAR THE CLUTTER

Being present in social media will require a purposeful understanding of social media goals. It is vital to reflect on the goals of social media presence for each platform and plan to build the network around these goals and values.

Learning, socializing, networking or relationship-building are examples of potential value points. Dictating what content subject matter becomes part of the unique algorithm of an individual’s social media content feeds. Several factors can influence these algorithms.

1. Audit groups and pages: Unfollow or delete content that does not align with personal goals and values.

2. Mute or unfollow family and friends: Sometimes harmful content may seem unavoidable from family and friends. Through mute or unfollow features, conflicts can be avoided by reducing the content appearing on personal feeds without disconnecting from the individual.

3. Check options associated with unwanted content: Most social media can reduce ads or content subject matter. Find options related to posts and select the options such as “I don’t want to see posts like this” to inform the platform of personal preferences. Over time, this can significantly reduce the unwanted content.

4. Take a social media break: Completely disengaging from social media may seem impossible, but a short break can help decrease mental fatigue-related content consumption.

5. Set limits: Most smartphones have a feature to set time limits on app use or monitor social media use. Use these features to help self-reflect and self-regulate.

6. If one does not have anything nice to share, consider not sharing at all: Consider the words and content before posting or sharing in personal spaces. While the state of emotion when posting is often fleeting, the internet footprint is not. Much like thinking twice before speaking, a content review can ensure posts and shares align with personal values and goals.

SUMMARY

It is becoming increasingly important to mindfully consume social media that enriches our mental and emotional health and avoids the toxic seep of images, comments and conversations that slowly degrade our mental or emotional state and those around us.

Incorporating our social media consumption health in the many other aspects of personal health is a growing component of whole health for the individual. Practicing personal and social awareness in social media use can increase satisfaction, social interactions and social wellness.

Failing to do so can have the opposite, more negative effect of decreased mental and emotional health. The power of sharing education, research, support and camaraderie can persevere and outshine in the battle of content landing in #FYP.

REFERENCES

Bekalu, M. P., McCloud, R. S., & Viswanath, K. P. (2019, November 19). Health, and Self-Rated Health: Disentangling Routine Use From Emotional Connection to Use. Retrieved from Sage Journals: https://journals.sagepub.com/ doi/full/10.1177/1090198119863768

Kemp, S. (2021, January 27). DIGITAL 2021: GLOBAL OVERVIEW REPORT. Retrieved from Data Reportal- Global Digital Insignts: https://datareportal.com/reports/ digital-2021-global-overview-report

Kramer, A. D., Guillory, J. E., & Hancock, J. T. (2014, June 2). Experimental evidence of massive-scale emotional contagion through social networks. Retrieved from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America: https://www.pnas.org/content/111/24/8788.abstract

Kwon, H. K., & Anatoliy, G. (2017). Is Aggression Contagious Online? A Case of Swearing on Donald Trump’s Campaign Videos on YouTube. Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences | 2017 (pp. 2165- 2174). Proceedings of the 50th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences | 2017.

McGaffney, T. (2019). 7 Articles about what causes social media fatigue. Retrieved from Strategic Social Media Lab: https://strategicsocialmedialab.com/7-articlesabout-what-causes-social-media-fatigue/

Tethr. (2020, November 2). Are You a Conscious Media Consumer.

About the Author

Beckie is a registered veterinary technician living in Southport, NC. She has enjoyed a diverse career in small animal, large animal, and mixed practices, academia, management, and as a private consultant. Beckie is co-founder of Veterinary Advancements, a private consulting firm and is a professional medical responder with the ASPCA Disaster Recovery Team. Beckie is host of Clinician’s Brief the Podcast and co-hosts Veterinary Viewfinder and Making Sense of Pets podcasts.

In support of her profession, Beckie is proud to serve as executive director for the Human Animal Bond Association, member at large for the Society for Veterinary Medical Ethics, and former executive board member for both the national and state tech associations. Beckie is also one of the minds behind Vet Team Global Stream 2020.