This generation is the most connected people have ever been due to the unprecedented accessibility thanks to the Internet, and yet people seem to be increasingly anxious, disconnected, lonely, and unsatisfied. The impossibly fast pace of social media, the quick judgments of cancel culture, and the constant aim to “go viral” can lead to unhealthy competition and consumption that drives misinformation and manipulation. So, is it even possible for social media to be anything other than that? Here are 3 ways to find the good on social media:

Reach Out - Find the people around you that you trust, look up to, and walk away from with greater curiosity! Ask them what they listen to and watch - what podcasts, which content creators, which pages they follow and why. However, reaching out is two-fold. Now that you’ve reached out to others for their input, now is the encouragement to reach out and be a contributor on your platform. Now, there are different ways to do this. When it comes to content, reflect on what you post, share, or comment. How do people know to expect your online presence to show up? Use it to share your story, model curiosity and joy rather than judgment and negativity, and invite others to better!
Reset Your Habits - If what you are viewing and consuming on a regular basis reflects your choices and interests, what is being revealed? Increase and expand your rolodex of social content to help change your algorithm for better. The more you consume one kind of media, whether it be sports, lifestyle, fitness, etc., the more your social media platforms know to feed you related content. So, reset your habits! Start exploring positive, informative, and encouraging versions of your interests and go on a deep dive by viewing related content, sending it to others, and asking others to share it with you!
Redraw Healthy Rhythms - At the end of the day, media is still media, and it’s healthy to set realistic boundaries. Maybe it’s getting into the habit of sparking conversations in real life based off of the content you are consuming online. Maybe it’s setting healthy boundaries with what you choose to consume on social media (what you give your time and attention to). Maybe it’s setting healthy boundaries around how much time you spend on social media. Maybe it’s committing to using your platform and online presence with wisdom and intentionality (not posting or saying things you’d later regret).

Philippians 4:8 says, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” With social media only growing in its presence in everyone’s life, it’s important to find the good, contribute good, and inspire good online and in-person.

How To Find The Good On Social Media