Is it worth the likes?

In the midst of the Covid-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom, I had an epiphany. Whilst finishing the last few weeks of University online, including a 12,000-word dissertation, I made the decision to withdraw myself from social media for a while. No Instagram, Snapchat, or Facebook. Truthfully, I was sick of the coronavirus conspiracy theories, the bombardment of (potentially false) information, and feeling blue every time I saw an article headline which had more than likely been over exaggerated. I needed to go on a break (insert ‘Friends’ reference here). I allowed myself only YouTube, as I do not really see it as social media (it is more entertainment), and WhatsApp, so I still got notified when I got a message from a close friend, my boyfriend, or work colleagues.

Despite my efforts, the social media platforms somehow do not understand the concept of ‘silence’. On the afternoon of my second day offline, I momentarily checked in on Snapchat just to see if I had a message from a friend I had not already got on WhatsApp. As I was just avoiding the ‘timeline’ and ‘stories’ features of Instagram and Facebook, I felt it safe to delve into messages briefly. Sure enough, I had, but that is not what caught my attention the most. The top notification I had received was to ensure I “Never Miss a Snap!” and that I should turn my notifications on. This was displayed also in my settings, and so made their message about notifications very clear, twice, within a ten-second window. Instagram was less annoying, and I have yet to find it begging me to turn anything on, but being owned by Facebook who are notorious for letting you know you have your notifications off for a message (and would you like them turning on?), I would not be surprised if something pops up over the next few days.

This got me thinking. Taking breaks from social media is not uncommon, and there is a myriad of reasons why someone might decide to do so. But it seems that, despite our best intentions, we are always destined to be fighting against the apps themselves. Turning notifications off for something, whether that be a whole app or just one message, is not something which happens accidentally. It is always deliberate, and requires at least an extra couple of steps to find the ‘mute’ button (So the next time you do not get a message back because ‘Oh my notifications were turned off accidentally’, think again…). With that being said, it seems peculiar an app would be so desperate for you to know that they are turned off, as if you did not know.

So why does this happen? Well, take Instagram, for example. Over the past few years a lot of brands have moved to having a large social media following, with Instagram being a popular platform for predominantly beauty brands to repost content from its own developers, and its consumers. The concept of Instagram fame is something that is so appealing to many users now, whereas a few years ago it was not really something that you could strive for. Websites such as Cosmopolitan, and WikiHow, showcase their tips and tricks to be Instagram famous. Even if you do not buy into the concept of Instagram fame, you cannot deny its prevalence in 2020. With more people online than ever before, streaming content, online gaming, or just using social media, now is the time many people are trying to build a brand for themselves from their own homes.

Just to clarify, I am not saying there is anything wrong with getting famous online. If you earn a living through brand deals, payed trips in return for a few pictures, or PR packages, that is fantastic, and I will always support those who enjoy that lifestyle and are happy to do it. It really is a ‘you do you’ situation when it comes to online fame, but there is also a touch of irony with it too. Whilst I will slate social media platforms for trying to get inside our heads, I am acutely aware I have linked my own Instagram to this blog page, and vice versa. It seems as if an entire generation has been tuned in to the idea that you have to know everyone, everywhere. And it is no wonder really. Growing up in the late 90’s and early 00’s myself, people of my generation grew up watching YouTube be created, and some personalities building their lives on the platform. Whilst some are going strong today still, and that is their main online presence, those who came to YouTube later in its lifetime often had Instagram incorporated into their content, and it being where they announced a new upload. Again, this is not a fault on online creators part, nowadays it is the most lucrative way to ensure most your followers know a new video is uploaded. But it is interesting to see just how much of a generational difference there is when it comes to spreading the word about your social media and putting yourself out there.

I think the difference for many is the choice we make as to when we want social media in our lives. Is it really worth checking in every half an hour to see if we have had any more likes on our recent post? And how do we feel when it does not achieve ‘enough’? I noticed in myself how this had an impact on me, not feeling good enough if it did not have enough likes, or if a friend got more in a shorter amount of time. As a sort of mini experiment with myself, about a year ago, I stopped deleting posts even if they had a perceived low amount of likes. And honestly? After a post has been up for a while, does it really matter if it only got 40 likes? No, not at all. I realised very quickly you can harness social media to be just for you, and so that is what I did and it is what I have continued to do ever since. It is well known that social media can be detrimental to your mental health, and a break every so often is good to bring you back down to Earth, and realise that there is more to life than how many likes you get on a post.

While most can strike that healthy balance between their online and offline lives, I think the apps themselves need to take a bit more responsibility to allow people to take breaks and not feel guilty, or like they are missing out, for doing so. Yes, there are features on Instagram and YouTube which you can alter to set limits for how long you spend on an app per day, but these are not often the easiest to find. Push notifications are also always a default on new phones or newly installed apps, to notify you for anything an app thinks you need to know about. I remember that feature not lasting very long back when I had Twitter, as it was just overwhelming the amount of times it beeped a day, telling me about retweets, hearts, followers, and everything in-between. And truthfully, when it all got turned off, I did not miss a thing that I actually wanted to know about.

So, maybe next time you find yourself scrolling for hours with no intention to your actions, perhaps take a minute and consider turning the online ‘off’ for an afternoon, and see how you feel.

- Hannah Charlesworth