In our Unfollow column, we take a look at the rise of social media tropes and put a finger on why some of them haunt us, even after we close the app. Call us negative, but we’re positive that sometimes, the only thing you can do to keep sane in our age of overstimulation is mute, hide, and unfollow.
Due to coronavirus pandemic that is spreading rapidly worldwide and overwhelming our healthcare systems, I am currently practicing social distancing. Part of this, is working from home—which is definitely a privileged situation compared to those who work jobs that depend on tips, or freelancers—but the trouble with adjusting to a new routine is that, suddenly, I have a lot more time to look at social media, and everyone on my feed is posting about the pandemic. Even if I can brush off 90 percent of the comments and infographics, there are the ones that get you sucked back into the topic, searching through Google for the latest statistics, projections and think pieces, calling loved ones that are far away and spiraling into panic. This is why I am consciously weeding out the voices that make it impossible to think about anything other than being stuck in my apartment for an indefinite amount of time, while death tolls rise and the country where all of my elderly relatives live (USA) fumbles in its response.
It's probably more helpful to go straight to the source and find the information yourself
On the surface it may sound irresponsible to cut out information about the pandemic, but when I think about things further, none of my friends or people I follow have any more access to information regarding government responses, healthcare recommendations or appropriate disaster guidelines than I do—most of them are re-posting articles and sharing personal stories that have gone through so many friend’s brother’s colleagues that it is difficult to verify any of the information. It’s probably more helpful to go straight to the source and find the information yourself, whether it is going onto the World Health Organization website, the Health Ministry’s website, a couple of your preferred news outlets and maybe the pages of your favourite relief groups and charities, if you are looking for ways to help. There is a difference between keeping informed and getting swept up into the media frenzy—and it’s a balance everyone has to work out for themselves.
Personally, I’m starved for creative content and a bit of escapism right now. If the best thing for me to do during this crisis is stay at home so that I don’t infect others and not buy more than one packet of toilet paper at a time, then I, like most of us, will need to find other things to fill my days with than panicking and engaging in online evaluations of how other people are dealing with the crisis. Catch up on classic movies, read long-form pieces about things unrelated to current events or engage in one of the virtual substitutes for galleries and live music that are popping up on Facebook and Instagram, like the many live streams of balcony DJ sets in Italy or the online viewing rooms of Art Basel Hong Kong. If it makes you feel better to talk about the coronavirus online all day, that’s fine, but if you need a break from it, take it.
Anything you’re cutting out of your social media diet? Send your pitch to kathryn@sleekmag.com.