Day 012. Breaking the Scroll: 91 Days Off Social Media & Rediscovering Life IRL
A Millennial's Digital Detox Diaries. Perhaps we've been looking it all wrong? Have you heard of the negative bias?
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This October, I am writing a daily series (Mondays through Fridays) chronicling my eighth time on an Instagram sabbatical. I’ve welcomed this annual ritual since 2016, but this year, I am doing my longest departure and documenting my daily insights for you.
I can’t promise what each day will bring ;)
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Stay tuned—for a little while—to see what I’ll create.
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I’ve been telling you why Instagram is terrible. It’s highly addictive and it robs us of our time, attention, and ability to think independently.
But, I know that’s a one sided perspective. The real dilemma we face is the fact that Instagram is also an incredible driver of inspiration and ideas spreading.
As a tool, Instagram is technically neutral to whether it’s spreading good, bad, truths, facts, or fake news. It’s a true engine of information (and data), but it’s also reliant on the algorithm, which is informed by the rules Instagram’s team decides on and also how we choose to engage with it too.
I have three accounts on Instagram.
One for personal use, another for this brand, and another for my adjacent brand of special edition products. What stands out, as I switch between these three accounts, is how different the feed, recommendations, and discover pages are.
Like the diversity of realities that belong to each individual life on this earth, the variety of what each Instagram account can provide is immense; it’s as diverse as humanity itself.
To state the obvious, of course, the accounts I follow are very different between each account. But, as one of my intensions for this series is to explore the dilemmas that we, an average Instagram user, may encounter, I realise, perhaps I am going about this all wrong too.
Instagram is a tool.
It is in many ways a neutral tool. Yes, it’s been engineered to be highly addictive and habit forming. Yes, it’s ruled by very specific algorithms, that have been decided by a group of people. But, it’s also neutral, in a sense that it’s not necessarily discriminatory to the information it hosts.
Thought: what if we proactively train the algorithm towards uplifting and positive content. Will it then serve more value adding content too?
Especially its recent emphasis on Reels, to compete with TikTok, Instagram has shifted its focus towards content that’s sharable versus only prioritising high following, likes and engagement.
Rolled out earlier this year, the new algorithm favours content that’s sharable. The algorithm is especially favourable to content that’s shared privately via direct message to friends. But, warning this is a highly simplified breakdown of the latest algorithm update.
“Instagram doesn’t have a singular algorithm that oversees what people do and don’t see on the app. We use a variety of algorithms, classifiers, and processes, each with its own purpose. We want to make the most of people’s time, and we believe that using technology to personalize everyone’s experience is the best way to do that.
Each part of the app – Feed, Stories, Explore, Reels, Search and more – uses its own algorithm tailored to how people use it. People tend to look for their closest friends in Stories, use Explore to discover new content and creators and be entertained in Reels. We rank things differently in these different parts of the app, and have added features and controls like Close Friends, Favorites and Following so you can further customize your experience.”
Honestly, more complex than I care to entertain right now, haha, but if you’re interested in learning more you can read more here.
What if we can proactively turn our Instagram accounts into an engine for discovery, inspiration, and positivity instead?
Share funny videos with a friend, react only to positive content, send a friend inspirational quotes, skip negative content, and at all costs, avoid and resist engaging with negative and disruptive content.
Instead of walking towards the angry person on the street, walk the other direction. Like choosing to spend our waking hours with people who add energy versus steal energy from us, what if we are more selective with what we engage with online? As attentive as we are about curating our in person experiences, what if we are as thoughtful about our Instagram use too? ,
Like how we choose to spend time with people in real life? I think it’s a universal truth for us to avoid people who make us feel terrible about ourselves. It’s only natural to want to spend more time with people who spark joy or inspire us. Why can’t the same rules apply to content and the accounts we follow?
One caveat, it is interesting is how human psychology tends to hinge on negativity more than positivity. Apparently because negativity induces greater emotional reactions which causes us to dwell on the negative more than the positive. But instead of allowing our minds to run loose, why not exercise our critical thinking and intentionally redirect our attention.
I am suddenly a little more hopeful!
Like attempting to see the glass as half full versus half empty, what if we all proactively try to redirect our Instagram algorithm by only engaging with uplifting, value adding, and positive content?
Like counting our blessings or practicing gratitude, perhaps, what we can do to use Instagram better is to redirect our attention towards encouraging and empowering content.
Day 011. Breaking the Scroll: 91 Days Off Social Media & Rediscovering Life IRL
If you’re new here or just dropping by, welcome!
Day 010. Breaking the Scroll: 91 Days Off Social Media & Rediscovering Life IRL
If you’re new here or just dropping by, welcome!
This series is accessible and open to all readers interested!
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Thank you for spending some of your day with me.