Social Media and Joy: A Complicated Relationship
A reflection on the tension between joy and overwhelm on social media, offering three strategies—time boundaries, audience control, and curating joyful content—to reclaim digital joy.
These last 24 hours, I’ve felt a swirl of complicated emotions around social media. Sharing and talking about joy has opened doors to connections I never imagined possible. But at the same time, the endless chatter—about #47, the speculation about what’s next, and the analysis of what’s already happened—has kept me teetering between fear and joy.
Social media is complicated. But I’m reminded of what I can control about my digital experience. Here are three things I’m focusing on:
1️⃣ Controlling my time online. I’m learning to check in with myself—does being online help or harm me right now? If it’s the latter, I take a step back.
2️⃣ Controlling my audience. I’m not for everyone, and everyone is not for me. Silencing, blocking, or restricting accounts isn’t just okay—it’s self-care.
3️⃣ Identifying joyful content. I’m making an effort to curate joy in my feed—whether it’s through hashtags, asking friends to share positive posts, or creating my own joyful content. Joy deserves space in my digital life.
What are your strategies for managing the ups and downs of social media? Let’s share ideas and maybe a little joy. 💛
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