The Power of Identifying Patterns on Facebook

Nowadays, more and more people are staying indoors. Some are working at home and others haven’t been able to find a new job yet. So, most people go to social media to connect with their friends and family whom they may not see daily due to circumstances. 

Now social media is where you could share your thoughts and connect with others, whether they are familiar to you or not. With that being said, social media is becoming a part of our lives and it can be unhealthy how it affects our mental health in many ways. 

Algorithms Play a Key Role in Social Media Consumption

For example, we have Facebook and the power of patterns on the platform. Facebook is being accused of putting these patterns into play and actually forcing different types of non-beneficial behaviors onto their users, especially young users. Which is leading towards impacting them negatively in the long run. 

So what does this mean? When you opt in to utilize social media, you are automatically being put into an algorithm. So anytime you engage with a certain piece of content, Instagram and Facebook are going to show you more of that content, simply because it's something that you're interested in. Therefore, keeping you on the app longer. 

You have to be aware of how you are utilizing these platforms, even if you're just a user. The more you are drawn into the social media algorithm, the more you stay on the app. It builds an unhealthy obsession.

It could be impulsive online shopping when an ad of a product that’s really appealing to you but otherwise useless, or it could affect your body image when you see models, it could impact your beauty standard, decreasing your self-esteem. You can be on a healthy recipe page and then the next thing you know you're on your Instagram discovery page and you're getting shown an ad for a weight loss supplement. These “suggestions” by the algorithm can in return cause negative mental health behavior patterns.

How You Can Manage Social Media Consumption

When you're using social media, you are automatically opting in to this algorithm. So you have to be aware and cognizant of what is going on, as you're utilizing and viewing content. 

What you should do is give the apps breaks at times for your mental health. Try to stay less social-heavy, meaning you would still be posting but not engaging as much or not posting as much to your story to give the account a break, and also give yourself a break.

Step back and take some time for yourself. Try to spend only 30 minutes a day on Instagram and Facebook. For your business, try to keep updated on your socials and just skim through them. During the work day, try to put your personal phone away. That way, not only will you be productive for the day, you’ll also be staying away from the toxicities of social media. 

We’ll be having an in depth conversation about social media in our latest podcast. Listen to it here: https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-end-in-mind/the-power-of-identifying-DcPN7shLvGX/