In the beginning, social media sites like Facebook and Instagram were more about getting in touch with people you know in real life or updating your profile to reflect the way you hoped have others would see you. However, adding the Facebook news feed (and its Instagram equivalent) changed everything.
The definition of news is "newly received or remarkable information, especially about current or important events". I don't know anything about you, but in my experience it has become more difficult to filter the remarkable and important of what is not. My news feeds are filled with everything from sponsored ads to photos of travel adventures by random acquaintances. There are mixed local events I'm interested in, announcements from close friends and family members about important life events and comments addressed to me. The problem is that a news feed treats each of these pieces of information with equal attention. It is all up to date news and we receive it as such and this has an impact.
Latest news! Someone I haven't spoken to in 20 years made pancakes for breakfast.
Latest news! A close friend needs help finding a counselor for her daughter.
Latest news! A law that affects counselors and other psychiatric professionals has been introduced and requires counseling support.
How do we, as consultants, regain control of our news feeds? How do we help customers do the same? The first step is to think about the impact of this latest news culture on your personal and professional life. Consider the following:
How much time do you spend filtering your news feed? Is this a lot you feel comfortable with?
How do you feel after reading your news feed? Happy? Productive? Or distracted and stressed?
How do you interact thoughtlessly or attentively with your news feeds?
How do you access your news feed? Does the context influence your behavior? For example, I don't have the Facebook mobile app on my iPhone. I only check my newsfeed from my laptop to make sure I don't fill random 5 to 15 minute downtime with senseless scrolling.
Think of the time when you are recording breaking news. For example, when you first check a newsfeed in the morning, you can set the tone for your day or decide how to direct your morning energy and attention.
The next step is to make changes that allow you to manage current news, such as: E.g .:
Remove apps with news feeds from your mobile device.
Hide your newsfeed completely from the desktop version of social media websites.
Eliminate or hide people, pages, or accounts that don't have a positive impact (both Twitter and Facebook allow you to mute instead of removing or untracking them).
Limit your follow or friend list to 25-50 people and pages that are most meaningful to you.
Disable notifications to avoid constant distraction
Technology is helpful in many ways, but it has created a daily life in which our attention must be directed in many different directions at the same time. This can make us and our customers feel distracted, distracted and stressed. By deliberately filtering our news feeds to better align them with our values, we can prevent the relentless news from breaking through, so that only the most important thing catches our attention.
Now, more than ever, it is imperative that we take care of ourselves when we filter information through social media and traditional media. Let us all take care of ourselves so that we can continue to take care of others. It is okay to set limits, create buffers and take breaks.
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Adria S. Dunbar is an assistant professor at the Institute for Educational Leadership, Politics and Human Development at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. She has more than 15 years of experience with efficient and inefficient technology in school, in private practice and in the training of consultants. Contact them at [email protected].
@ TechCounselor's Instagram is @techcounselor.
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