Stay smart on social media in lockdown

Being hooked to online updates about the virus is causing anxiety and sleeplessness. Here’s how to use social media better

IT’S 11pm. She crawls into bed and unlocks her phone. Checks Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and Facebook. Repeats. When she next checks the time, it’s two hours later. She started off scrolling and scrolling and then got drawn down the rabbit hole of Covid-19 conspiracy theory videos and articles.

This has happened almost every night since the national lockdown started on 27 March, Cape Town-based schoolteacher Kelly-Ann Petersen* admits.

Before she knows it, it’s 2am and she realises that yet again she’s going to be getting too little sleep.

“The funny thing is that every morning when I wake up, exhausted and blearyeyed, I tell myself I’m not going to fall into the same trap again that night,” Kelly says. “But then every night I end up convincing myself that I’ll just quickly check social media before I doze off, and it happens again.”

Prior to national stay-at-home orders being implemented, Kelly would always spend a few minutes checking what everyone on her social media feeds was up to before going to bed but was far more disciplined about logging off when she felt sleepy.

“These days it’s news about the coronavirus that keeps me online. I keep checking to see what people are sharing about the pandemic and lockdown rules. I’m checking to keep abreast of everything, but a lot of what people are posting on social media actually riles me up,” she says, adding that on a few occasions she’s even replied to some particularly thoughtless posts and landed up in spats.

She’s not alone. Increased consumption of social media due to lockdown is leaving many people even more anxious and stressed out about what’s happening around the world.

A recent study in India showed lockdown has resulted in youngsters spending more time on social media and has led to increased stress levels in almost half of them. The study, conducted by professors from Delhi’s Lady Shri Ram College and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, surveyed more than 300 youngsters aged between 18 and 25 years and found that on average they spend up to six-and-a-half hours a day on social media platforms. And 44% of them agreed social media increased their stress levels. Joburg-based counselling psychologist Tamara Sosa isn’t surprised. “Many studies have found a link between depression and anxiety and excessive social media use,” she says. Recent health insurance data from the US shows that major depression is on the rise among Americans from all age groups – and is rising fastest among teens and young adults. And this was before the global pandemic. Now that people are less busy with work, school and other activities due to lockdown, Sosa adds, they have much more time to spend glued to a screen. While social media can be a useful tool to help you stay informed and connected to friends and family, it’s essential to make sure your consumption is mindful, she advises. “If you know that reading a lot of negative news or opinions will affect you and make you feel overwhelmed,

‘It’s coronavirus news that keeps me online’

you need to remind yourself that you can control what you’re exposed to.”

Here’s how to make social media a healthier space during this time of uncertainty and anxiety.

TREAD LIGHTLY There’ll be people on your social media feeds who don’t have their facts straight and who are spreading misinformation, and it’s not always your civic duty to set them straight.

Considering what’s going on right now, it’s more important than ever to cut people some slack, says Sarah Britten, a social media expert at advertising agency Brand Factor.

“For perhaps the first time ever, many people are stuck at home and facing an unprecedented global crisis. People are processing a lot of emotions. If there’s one rule that’s useful, I’d say it’s: ‘Be less judgmental.’

“Unless what someone is saying is harmful to someone else, resist the urge to police others.”

Conrad David, founder of Joburgbased company Hashtag South Africa, agrees. Adding your two cents’ worth to everything you see online isn’t always the best approach, he cautions.

“If you find yourself offended by something you’ve seen online, take a moment to think before you articulate a response. Just like viral videos of people saying things out of turn, you too can find yourself accused of being abusive,” he cautions.

Should you feel compelled to post, his advice is to avoid commenting or contributing based on opinions, but rather focus on facts. “Think before hitting that send button. If something you post goes viral, you must be able to defend your argument.”

BE SELECTIVE Choose wisely when deciding what sort of online content you consume. Keeping up to date with the news is important, but remember it’s equally important to get news from a reputable source. Be selective about the websites you use and what you read. Limiting the time you spend reading news online is also important. “Find balance between being informed and being overwhelmed with information,” Sosa says. You should also be selective about who you follow on social media. Find social media accounts that are positive and empowering, she advises.

Britten suggests spending more time on accounts or Facebook groups devoted to things you love, be it cooking or art.

If you come across heated discussions taking place online or when negative comments become too much for you, Conrad suggests simply stepping away.

“It’s so easy to go with the flow with what we find on our social media newsfeeds,” he says. “But we all have interests and things we turn to that inspire and entertain us. We should use the same approach when it comes to the type of content we consume online.

“For example, I love art and really miss visiting galleries, and during lockdown I’ve found online museums whereby you can take virtual tours.”

AVOID THE EGG-LAYERS Take people’s social media posts with a pinch of salt.

“We need to remember that many of the people splashing their thoughts and feelings on social media do so because they themselves are feeling afraid, angry or helpless,” says Pretoria-based clinical and counselling psychologist and YOU columnist Dr Louise Olivier.

“Avoid people on social media who want to ‘lay an egg’ by dropping provocative or negative comments. Although it’s their right to do so, they may not have the full picture. In fact, they often don’t have even a third of the full picture.”

KNOW WHEN IT’S A CONSPIRACY THEORY While they can make for thought-provoking reading, the Covid-19 conspiracy theories currently flooding our timelines need to be avoided, Sosa advises.

“Conspiracy theories are interesting as they give people a false sense of control over an uncontrollable situation,” she says. But conspiracy theories tend to deflect blame and direct energy towards something else rather than focusing on combating a problem, she says.

So how do you spot a conspiracy theory? One approach is to rely on common sense, says Jovan Byford, senior lecturer in psychology at The Open University. But it’s also important to realise that there’s a difference between actual conspiracies and conspiracy theories.

While conspiracies do exist, and plots and cover-ups do happen, there are many of them and in most instances they’re unrelated. Conspiracy theorists, however, see secret collusion everywhere and believe it’s a major force in history, Byford says.

“Conspiracy theorists are traders in illusion,” he says. “They offer a certain amount of comfort, which is what makes them appealing. But they invariably lead to a dead end, away from genuine solutions to societal problems, which are more diverse and more complex than any conspiracy theorist cares to imagine.” * Not her real name

‘Resist the urge to police others’