Okay, so we know that there are some people who would define themselves as an Introvert. Someone who generally gets easily drained by too much social activity (ME) and is usually more content keeping to themselves.
Now, how does that translate into Social Media use? Having ‘Social’ in the name can already seem ominous to some. But, here are a few ways that Introverts use Social Media a little bit differently than Extroverts. (Note, a lot of this is my personal opinion being a very large Introvert)
Privacy
Many Individuals who would classify themselves as Introverts (again, Me) tend to keep their Social Profiles private. Limiting who can see whatever details of your life that you are willing to share online often makes us feel less exposed. Here is a great article with some of the differences between Introverts and Extroverts on Social Media.
Not in it for the Likes
Personally, I do not use Social Media to be acknowledged by ‘likes’ from Followers. I use it to share content that makes me happy. I love photography, so I share images that bring me joy. My platform is for Me, and if anyone else can find some enjoyment out of it, then that is great! But it is not my only goal to be seen, liked, and have a thousand Followers. In fact, I don’t care if I am invisible. Speaking with other Introverted people, they seem to feel the same way.
Not Over-Sharers
Extroverts on Social Media share everything (or if not everything, more). They are often the ones to post long videos talking about their days in great detail. I don’t know an Introvert that does that. We watch those videos, and then think to ourselves “I couldn’t do that.” Well, not to say we can’t, we just don’t want to…
Tips for Introverts on Social Media
Here is a great video with a few tips on succeeding with an online brand as an Introvert on Social Media:
Introverts Guide to Social Media and Having an Online Brand
How about you? Are you an Introvert using Social Media? What tendencies do you feel that you have that might be different from an Extrovert?
Humans need social interaction – we know that much. However, too much of a good thing can still have negative impacts. Let’s talk about how Social Media overuse can make us feel lonely, and then look at how we can help to combat this feeling.
I have recently had to seriously limit my own personal Social Media use. With the pandemic already increasing overall isolation, I found that I was turning to Social Media to fill most of my new found free time. Living alone, I felt the constant need to open every possible application and see what others were doing around me. I even found myself posting things just to make others think that I was doing more with my time than I was. I realized that it was actually making me feel more lonely. I was doing everything possible to avoid spending time with myself.
It sounds strange, but being able to stay connected to those around us so easily via technology often makes us feel more isolated. It’s like we are watching the world unfold around us, but maybe don’t know how we fit into it. We watch people living the lives that we want, and often feel envious of them (FOMO – Fear of Missing Out). This can have a really negative impact on our mental health and cause us to feel disconnected from reality. This powerful short video titled, The Innovation of Loneliness gives us some insight into this very common issue:
If You are a Person that any of this resonated with, then you are probably wondering what the next step is. I was too. Setting up Screen Time limits in your Smartphone settings can be a great starting point. Limiting your time on Social Platforms can encourage you to make more real world connections, instead of focusing all of your energy on the digital world. Also, it is important to keep in mind that not everything we see online is real. We only see what others want us to see, and vice versa. Try to use Social Platforms when you are feeling good about yourself, and not when you are feeling sad. It is much easier to be hard on yourself when you are unnecessarily comparing yourself to others. Remember to be kind to yourself and to others, we never know what people are really dealing with that they are not revealing.
I personally limited my Screen Time to 30 minutes per day for Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram. It has made me more conscious of how long I am spending scrolling, and why I am even opening up the applications at all. Being conscious of why I am using my Social Platforms has encouraged me to look for more meaningful content, bringing me back to the more positive sides of Social Media.
How about you? Do you think that less time online helps to combat loneliness?
Facebook: Hey, You, It’s okay to feel lonely -> Here’s How to Cope with Loneliness from Social Media https://wp.me/p3QRy0-q5r
As we all know, 2020 has been a year for the history books. With a global pandemic, various social justice movements, and a presidential election (to name a few) all happening at the same time, social media has been lit up by couch warriors. Activism is not a new concept, but with how accessible Social Media is, the way that people protest and take action has gone largely digital. Here are some of the ways that social issues blew up online in 2020
Black Lives Matter
The Black Lives Matter movement was founded in 2013, when Travyon Martin was tragically murdered, and his killer acquitted. The outrage sparked a powerful collective based on liberation and inclusivity, and protecting Black Lives. Their online presence has grown exponentially since then. The Hashtag #BLM is used consistently on all Social Platforms to draw attention to important issues. In 2020, the astounding number of deaths caused by police brutality against Black individuals went viral. In the middle of a pandemic and forced isolation from the world, so many people took to their devices and started sharing their outrage on Social Media. Petitions were circulated asking for the Officer’s to be arrested and charged, GoFundMe donation pages were set up, and there was a call to Defund the Police, among other things. People from all over the world were protesting from home. In an article by Leah Asmelash from CNN, she wrote:
”It’s been said that this moment feels different. It’s bigger, more mainstream. White people are protesting just as much as people of color. Even large corporations and brands, which may have been silent in the past, are getting involved.” Leah Asmelash, CNN
The online protests still manifested into real life protests, but with how much information organizations and individuals were able to spread through Social Platforms, the movement took off to new heights, sparking legitimate change in government policies. This brief video also talks about the impacts that Social Media has had on the Movement:
Black Lives Matter Movement and Social Media Spread in 2020
Normally when there is an election in one specific Country, it is mainly the people living there who get involved. 2020 decided that the whole world needed to be involved in the United States Presidential Election (for good reason, there is just a whole lot going on over there). The amount of real news, fake news, memes, scandals and parody videos circulated by individuals was vast. With such strong opposing opinions in regards to the Presidential Candidates of this year, every social media platform was used as a tool for protest all around the Globe. One online protest that really stands out is the TikTok Trump Rally Trolling event. For those who are unfamiliar with this scandal, basically, a large group of TikTok users signed up for tickets to a campaign that they never planned on attending in order to reduce the turnout for Donald Trump’s planned rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
It is still undetermined whether the TikTok participants were really the reason for the low attendance, but regardless, it shows us how once again Social Media was used as a show of political activism this year. Many political figures actually commended the efforts nonetheless of the Teens online who claimed to have been a part of this protest. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was one of whom shared her positive feelings about the event on Twitter:
KPop allies, we see and appreciate your contributions in the fight for justice too 😌
In this day and age, technology is King, and when even the President of the United States uses Twitter, no one can argue the prevalence of Social Media in any sort of Political Campaign or how much it has impacted Activism.
Naked Fundraising?
The bushfires that tore through Australia this year left a large need for fundraising initiatives to repair what had been lost. With the rise of online Activism, One Model, Kaylen Ward, used her Social Platforms to raise more than $500,000.00 by selling nude photographs of herself. She used her presence on Twitter and Instagram to attract attention, and raised a huge amount of money from her interesting approach. All of the following is from an article from The Guardian, Australia:
“I donated $1,000 myself,” she tells Guardian Australia. “I had a substantial amount of followers, maybe 30,000 at the time, and I thought that a lot of my followers would pitch in and send in some donations for the wildfires.”
At around 10pm on 3 January, Ward tweeted a nude image of herself – with an angel emoji acting as a modesty strip – alongside a list of charities her followers could fund. That evening she raised more than $7,000. “The next morning I woke up and it had gone absolutely viral and I was flooded with messages. It quickly just blew up and went upwards of $100,000 before I knew it.”
2020 has been an absolute rollercoaster of a year. Watching it unfold through Social Media has been ridiculous. But examining how it has impacted Activism is seriously interesting. These were just three topics briefly touched on, but we can definitely see how much of an impact Social Media Platforms can have on global issues and the ways that people speak up and share information. Everyone wants to be heard, and with the endless amount of ways to share information, everyone can be.
Facebook: What Activism Looks Like on Social Media in 2020, Click Here to Find out More! https://wp.me/p3QRy0-q1Q
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 