Saving the Twitter Feed and Your Sanity
I have heard countless friends over the past couple of years say that they need to “quit Twitter” because it’s “bad for me”, “makes me frustrated”, or “I’m addicted”. I can relate, I almost did the same after I caught myself sneaking looks at my phone during a dinner party to view (and stew over) the latest U.S. political drama, and I realized how crazy that was instead of enjoying the people around me.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing better than watching a cultural phenomenon like Game of Thrones on Sunday nights and then immediately getting on Twitter to chuckle over the endless stream of memes and reactions that were just birthed. Social media has revolutionized so many small aspects of our social lives. We are living in the golden age of real-time pop culture commentary. I feel bad for the Brady Bunch or I Love Lucy fans — well, even the Seinfeld or Friends fans — that never got to experience this marvel.
The power of social media cannot be ignored — it’s easy and delightful to use, boasts topical and meaningful content, gives us access to public figures, and allows us to contribute our own thoughts to the universe. These are all consequences of thoughtful product design that keeps us coming back. Yet recent studies have linked social media use to mental health issues like depression and anxiety. It’s no surprise that these would be the consequence of our addiction to social media.
These concepts have intrigued me during my own studies of UX Design with DesignLab. For example, the “infinite scroll” layout of Twitter allows us to continue browsing through content until what feels like the end of time, powered by our fear of missing out and causing us to lose track of time as we just keep going and going. This article by Psychology Today even compares it to the feeling of playing slot machines for endless hours. The infinite scroll leaves users saying things like, “just one more tweet and then I’ll be done”, as they continue scrolling further.
I became aware of this connection, and instead of quitting Twitter, made some changes that have helped me to enjoy my Twitter time:
1. Find what brings you joy
Channel Marie Kondo and run an analysis on what brings you true joy on social media — what energizes, fascinates, and uplifts you? This looks different for everyone — it could be cute animals, your closest friends’ accounts, comedians, charity organizations, or maybe you do live for political drama and it truly makes you happy (more power to you). Pick a few overarching themes that contribute to your contentment on the daily.
2. Curate your feed to follow those topics and only those
This is the fun part — unfollow or mute everything that does not pertain to your happy themes. Be ruthless. Add in select resources you may have missed that would be good contributions.
3. Set up the proper channels for other topics
After cutting out so much from your Twitter feed, you might feel like you’re missing things. There are ways to stay in the know but avoid getting caught in an endless swill of internet commenters. Perhaps find a news app that you like and keep it separate. If you need to use Twitter for work or other less-than-blissful reasons, get a separate account so you can at least compartmentalize and keep your personal feed for good vibes.
4. Use a timer to keep your Twitter time reasonable
To combat the allure of the infinite scroll, try using a timer to give yourself a pre-planned session with Twitter and no more. This will ensure you’re really focusing on the content that’s most important to you, and you can move on with your day after browsing instead of carrying on for too long.
The advent of social media has brought our global population closer and given us access to a wealth of information at the tip of our fingers. While this has done some truly incredible things for our world, it can also negatively impact your mental health if you feel too entrenched. Instead of rage-quitting Twitter or continuing to slog through the infinite scroll that leaves you feeling lousy, practice some self-care this week by saving your Twitter feed. Your sanity will thank you.
