Navigating our Social Media World: A Guide for supporting Young Adults
The modern world can be defined by the vast presence and influence of social media. It's a world where almost every individual has a digital footprint, and individual, community and world life events are often broadcasted online in real-time. This constant stream of information can be overwhelming, especially for young adults who are still learning to navigate this complex digital landscape.
The modern world can be defined by the vast presence and influence of social media. It's a world where almost every individual has a digital footprint, and individual, community and world life events are often broadcasted online in real-time. This constant stream of information can be overwhelming, especially for young adults who are still learning to navigate this complex digital landscape.
The Overwhelming Nature of Social Media
We know that social media platforms are designed to be engaging and to keep users hooked. For many of us this can often lead to excessive use, making it hard to distinguish between what is real and relevant. However aside from these important things we also need to help our young adults learn what they have capacity to hold alongside the normal information they are holding for day to day life. The overwhelming nature of social media can be detrimental, leading to anxiety and stress. Research has shown that excessive social media use can have a negative impact on mental health, particularly in young adults.
The Importance of Developing Critical Skills
We are made to communicate, to thrive in a community, work together, and look out for others. But we are made to do this in a face to face environment, in small town communities. Not that long ago we only knew about the celebrations, drama and worries that were on our door step. Now we are exposed to world wide events, from the perspectives of many passionate, polarising different voices. We not only read the notifications, but we see the photos, we hear the words, tears, screams, and watch it unfold on video. Or at least we think we do, we hope it hasn’t been altered or AI generated. In a world where social media is a primary source of information and communication, it's essential to develop the skills to differentiate between what is real, relevant, and manageable. These skills are not only crucial for mental health and wellbeing, but also for making informed decisions and understanding the world around us.
How do we explore and teach these skills
So, how can we support young adults to navigate this overwhelming media world? Before we even look at what they are being shown on their devices, check out their wellbeing, do they have capacity to take on more - more information, more judgement, more expectation, more sadness, more stress. Because this indicates if they should even be picking up their devices and if they do, which apps they open and what notifications they choose to read.
It is helpful to explore and understand what their home and peer environments have taught them about social media, is there a pressure to know everything, to be up to date, have an opinion? Is there an expectation to be on certain sites, be available, get involved? Or the opposite, have they been denied access to information and now crave it. What expectations do they have of themselves and is it always possible to reach them? Knowing this gives us so much information to help support the next steps.
Making a flexible plan with a young person about what information they want and feel they can be exposed to is important. It maybe that they can’t cope with depictions of violence, war and trauma so they avoid the news channels with video and images, it maybe that they don’t feel good when pulled into debate so avoid comment sections, it maybe that they are vulnerable to comparison so actually posts from peers and celebrities are best avoided when feeling low.
Skills also lie in developing the ability to filter and analyse the information presented to them. They need to ask critical questions about the content they consume:
Is this real or fake news?
How does this information affect me or my community?
Can I do something about it, or is it beyond my control?
By asking these questions, young adults can begin to understand and make sense of the information they come across on social media. They can also develop the skills to verify the authenticity of the content and manage the information overload.
Remember, while social media can be overwhelming, it is also a tool for connection, entertainment, and information. By developing the skills to navigate this digital landscape, young adults can not only protect their mental health but also make informed decisions and understand the world better.