Becoming an empowered social media user in the age of whistleblowers

Isn’t social media great?

(Hey, I know. Bear with me.)

We carry the entire world in our pockets.

Right now, I can message anyone with an Instagram account (which is practically everyone, since Instagram has one billion monthly active users). With a single viral Tweet, I can reach millions. And I can become a millionaire overnight.

It’s a goldmine of possibility.

Especially for entrepreneurs.

We have social media to thank for the golden age of entrepreneurship. Today’s entrepreneurs speak directly to their audience, bypassing the gatekeepers of old institutions. They build freelance careers, companies, and even democratized media platforms online.

Social media offers a meaningful step towards a more level playing field, especially as traditional institutions fail us. Disenfranchised groups — including women, people of color, LGBTQIA, people with disabilities, low-income, and people who are neurodiverse — have much to gain from these platforms.

The problem with Big Tech

But it’s pretty obvious Big Tech has a problem. Actually, a whole mess of problems. Problems that threaten the global public.

Facebook designs online environments that offer so much value to us. Yet, they have a hand in serious psychological harm — harm that they, themselves, have admitted internally, which we know from whistleblowers like Frances Haugen.

“The thing I saw at Facebook over and over again was there were conflicts of interest between what was good for the public and what was good for Facebook, and Facebook over and over again chose to optimize for its own interests, like making more money,” — Frances Haugen on 60 Minutes (10/3/21)

Facebook monetizes through a model adopted by much of Silicon Valley. Facebook wants you to spend as much time on their platforms as they can. More time spent on these platforms equals more profits for them. How?

We, users, are productized as impressions for advertisers.

As it stands, these products are not designed ethically. Facebook, in particular, has an army of engineers, designers, researchers, behaviorists, analysts, strategists, algorithms, AI, data scientists, salespeople, and marketers to keep its growth and engagement at climbing rates.

The capacity for user addiction is baked into these products.

Social media is designed to alter our behavior.

And ever so subtly, almost undetectably, social media undermines our free will.

The big Facebook rebrand

Rumors say Facebook is slated to have a rebrand next week.

Amid all of Facebook’s negative press, I’m not surprised. (Hey, I’m a marketer by trade, and I know rebrands scrub out bad press.)

I’m curious to see if the rebrand is a new name on an old face. Can I hold out hope that Silicon Valley has finally committed to meaningful change?

Probably not.

That means it behooves us to become responsible users.

Of course, we want these magical technological portals to whisk us into realms of possibility, connection, and entrepreneurial profits. But, we want to do it our way — in a way that doesn’t undermine our sovereignty as users.

Three ways to be a more empowered user

I teach entrepreneurs how to build empowered brands on Instagram. Over my life, I’ve gathered effective tools in my toolkit.

Here are three ways to become a more empowered social media user.

1. Start a self-awareness practice.

Cultivating self-awareness is the cornerstone of any addiction recovery program. Self-awareness is essential to change your relationship to something, whether that be to a glass of rosé or to a pesky social media habit.

When we start examining our social media usage, we are invited to observe ourselves. How does this app make me feel in my body? Am I noticing any mental chatter as I consume a piece of content?

Watch how you feel when you have a social media craving. Can you observe yourself when you’re in line at the grocery store and you’re compulsively pulling out your phone? Can you pause to watch the craving pass?

Please know that an effective awareness practice starts and ends in self-compassion. Try your best to leave judgment at the door.

If you’re just starting out, I’d recommend using things like alarms, alerts, and built-in breaks to regularly disrupt absent-minded scrolling. There’s an iOS app called Moment that tracks your phone usage and yells at you if you’re on your phone too long. (I know Apple’s latest iOS has built-in features like this.)

2. Actively curate the content you consume.

What content shows up in your social media feed is based on an algorithm. You can actively work with the algorithm to make sure you’re consuming content you want to see.

Start with feeding the algorithm clear negative feedback. You can “downvote” types of content in your feed by hitting the “Hide” button. (This can be especially helpful for suggested content or ads.)

I’m particularly fond of “follow audits.” Feel free to unfollow accounts that don’t add value to your life — or that lower self-image.

With enough practice, your feed will be chock-full of things you’d want to consume.

3. Practice boundaries.

Create actionable social media rules that work for you and your business. Start small at first. We want these goals to be achievable and realistic.

Personally, I make sure I don’t use social media in the first hour I wake up and in the last hour before bed. I also have set times to plan, batch, and automate content, so I have the freedom to unplug from my business Instagram for most of the day. (Planoly and Later are great apps for creating a content calendar and automating posts.)

Lastly, I make sure that I never get pinged with a push notification — ever. (This is a good practice to have with virtually all of your apps.)

Here are other great examples of social media boundaries:

• Delete Instagram after each use.
• Log on up to 5 times a day.
• Only use TikTok on the weekends.
• Avoid a feature of the platform (e.g. the Discover or Reels tab).
• Hire a social media manager, agency, or even assistant to help outsource social media tasks for your business.
• Set up quick replies for DM chat to establish 48-hour response times.

About me

I help female entrepreneurs build empowered brands on Instagram with my own brand, On Being (@onbeingbrand). I got my start in the Bay Area tech scene. Ecstatic dancer. Self-development junkie. California girl.