5 tips to make social media a better place
I’m excited to introduce you to my first guest blogger, the fantastic Alexis Bushnell from ‘Social Media for Humans‘. In the following article, she’ll give you great advice on how to use social media in a more positive way. And, further down, you can check out our Instagram Live chat about how to make social media a better place!
Introduction
Social media can be a not so great place, but here’s the thing; we’re all responsible for that. It can feel easier to blame Zuckerberg and co, and they certainly have a role to play, but we actually have a lot of control over how social media looks and if we change our own actions on these platforms, the platforms themselves will change.
How many times have you bemoaned how negative Twitter is but then also used Twitter to share complaints, anger, or general misery? I’m absolutely guilty of this, even now and I talk about this stuff all the time, it’s human to forget ourselves and also to want to share the hard stuff. What matters is that we’re mindful of what we’re putting out there, so I’ve put together a list of 5 ways you can help make social media a kinder, more inclusive place.
1. Post more positive things
We all know how easy it is to leap on social media to complain about bad service, a bad day or to vent about the latest news cycle. I’m not going to tell you to stop doing that, but I do want to suggest you make an effort to also share the good things that have happened.
Whether you commit to sharing positive climate news regularly, or you just try to remember to post about your lovely day hanging out with a much-loved friend, making your own posts more balanced has an impact on the balance of posts on social media more generally.
2. Engage with compassion
Those infuriating, hateful posts are written by humans. Often by very scared humans who are acting from fear and a desperate desire to protect themselves and their loved ones. Does that make it OK that they’re posting awful things on social media? No, but choosing to show them compassion can change how any discussion goes dramatically.
If you’re unable to have a useful discussion about the issue, because of your own state of mind, the fact it directly impacts you, or for any other reason, don’t respond at all. Engagement tells the social media algorithms to push a post out even more – if you engage on things that are awful, it will go further (the Katie Hopkins effect). Use the block and report options instead.
3. Go out of your way to be kind
Instead of spending your downtime doing some mindless scrolling, consider actively seeking out some posts to leave lovely comments on. Hop into some groups and leave some advice or support, scroll some hashtags and tell people how awesome they are, reply to some Tweets just to big someone up.
Opting to spread some kindness while at the same time ignoring the trolls has the combined effect of amplifying the good and reducing the bad on social platforms, making it a better experience for everyone.
4. Think about your words
When you’re sharing something, consider the words you’re using. Words are powerful and many of us are in the habit of using ableist language without even realising. Choosing the words we use with more care often has a double effect of both making our speech more inclusive and clearer.
Think about what assumptions you’re making through your word choice and challenge yourself to find alternative words and phrases to make your posts more inclusive.
Simple switches from “men and women” to “people,” “parents” to “folks with children,” or “husbands and wives” to “spouses and partners” makes more people feel welcome in your online space.
5. Make accessibility a habit
Remembering to add alt-text or image descriptions to your images, to caption your videos or to use #CamelCase hashtags can be a struggle when you first start. After a while though, it becomes second nature, so it’s worth making the effort to learn about making your content accessible and enlisting post-it notes, lists or reminders to ensure you implement it.
Making your content accessible is a really important way to make social media more inclusive as it ensures everyone can enjoy what you’re posting. It also has an awesome domino effect of getting other people inquisitive about why you’re doing those things and starting to learn more about accessibility themselves.
Summary: be the change you want to see
As with all the important things in life, we have to be willing to make changes ourselves to take a step closer to the world (virtual or otherwise) that we want to live in. If we want a kinder, more inclusive social media landscape, we have to combine signing petitions, writing to politicians and other ways of putting pressure on the social media giants with a change in our own behaviour.
Algorithms are designed to show you what you want more of – show them you want positivity, kindness and inclusivity.
Bio
Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter
Alexis is a social media guide and founder of Social Media for Humans, a movement changing the way social media works from the inside. She busts myths and provides an honest, jargon-free explanation of algorithms and strategy to help business owners and individuals use social media effectively, ethically and in a way that’s sustainable for both the human running the business and the planet.
Outside of trying to ruin Zuck’s master plan, she enjoys walking, dog agility with TiLi, her Bichon Frise, and playing chess.
Bonus: our Instagram Live chat about making social media a better, kinder place
From engaging with compassion to ethical marketing, self-confessed introverts Alexis and I discuss it all. 🙂 We’d love to hear your thoughts on anything we discussed!
You may also find my guest post on Alexis’s blog useful, focusing on 3 things to be wary of in social media marketing.
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Are you interested in running an ethical business, too? If you would like to collaborate in any way, do let me know. You can either reach me via the social media links below or contact me through this website.
