Jealous? Sad? Angry? Smash That Unfollow

I used to hate Facebook. Don't get me wrong, I loved social media, but I found the daily bombardment of my Facebook feed to be more than I could handle. Like several of the articles describe, I got caught up in a swirl of jealousy and annoyance over everything everyone else was posting about. Around a year ago when I started working for student media, I found myself needing to use Facebook on an everyday basis to keep in contact with the other student members and various management teams. As a consequence, I spent a little bit of time each day going through my feed, and yep, feeling overwhelmed. So I decided to spend the time to clean up my feed. I unfollowed or unfriended people that I didn't want to see. People who were blatantly racist or sexist, people who I shamefully "hate followed" out of nosiness, people who I just simply didn't feel the need to keep up with anymore – all gone. I now do this on a regular basis on every social media account and while sometimes I feel guilty about it, I know it's so worth it for my long term wellbeing.

The idea that social media is a place devoid of healthy connection is ridiculous. I get to see what's going on with my friends that live across the US and in other countries and keep up with family members that I otherwise only see once or twice a year. The fact that I get to easily send pieces of my life to them and share in their triumphs and accomplishments is wonderful and definitely helps my mental health more than it burdens it. Every time I see someone claiming that social media makes us jealous and depressed I want to grab them and yell, "It doesn't have to be this way!" If you're getting jealous or seriously upset over what other people post on Facebook – and I mean this is the most sincere way possible – seek out counseling. Go talk these feelings through with someone and learn how to handle them going forward.

Jealously wasn't born from social media. Seeing your neighbor's brand new convertible in their driveway could just as easily put you on a spiral of jealousy and self-doubt as seeing the same car posted on Facebook. Also, if people only posting the "good" in their lives on social media bothers you, do your part to flip the switch. We spent last class discussing vulnerability, so use social media to show your vulnerable side or ask for support. As the Atlantic article explains, having reciprocal relationships with people makes you happier. Just like in digital marketing, it's all about setting up the right interaction to create a connection. If you ask an open ended question or give people the opportunity to respond to something you post, people will interact with you. If you're having an off day, don't necessarily rant about it via text wall, but maybe throw up a post asking for funny movie recommendations. You'll get some nice suggestions and open yourself up to new connections with your friends.