Three Ways I Made Facebook Work Better for Me

Do you love or hate Facebook? It seems there are plenty of people in each camp. A couple of years ago, the Pew Research Center published a summary of their research into social media. They found that almost half of all respondents to one of their surveys thought technology companies, including social media companies, needed more regulation by the government. They also found that over 70% of survey respondents thought social media companies had too much influence over politics and nearly 65% thought that social media had an overall negative effect on life in the United States. Despite the majority of respondents sharing these concerns about social media, they also found that 70% of their survey respondents said they used Facebook.

Addicted to Social Media? (Flickr/Joey Zanotti)

Like these survey respondents, I also have mixed feelings about Facebook. I admit there’s one thing I rely on Facebook for: I rely on Facebook to hear news about what’s going on with most of my friends and family. I started receiving far fewer personal emails, phone calls, and letters once social media became prevalent, and though I can’t say I’m pleased that Facebook is my sole means of communication with most people I care about, it is, so I hang on to my account in order to get updates about what’s happening in their lives.

I’ve also used Facebook to reconnect with people from my past I had lost touch with over the years. In general, I think this is a good thing. It’s been fun to re-find friends from my college days, for example, and reminisce about the fun we had. I’ve also found friends from elementary school I had lost touch with once I started attending private school in sixth grade. It’s been interesting to see what paths their lives took and what they’re involved in now.

That said, there’s a lot I don’t love about Facebook. Although I like it when it’s a place where friends and family post personal updates, where people comment on those updates, and where true connections occur, it seems many people instead share memes created by others (or possibly bots), comments on posts are few and far between, and connections seem superficial and fleeting. Sometimes I comment on a friend’s post or even send a message using the Facebook Messenger tool, only to get no reply. I admit that’s been disappointing.

I’ve also found the amount of news spread over Facebook to be overwhelming at times. I wrote last year about overloading on negativity. Upon reflection after writing that post, I found that Facebook had something to do with my overloaded feeling. At the time, I was working for a client who needed Twitter posts for his feed on a variety of topics. Each week, I sent him 10 tweets relevant to the topics he was interested in with links to news stories related to the tweets. To collect the links to the news stories, I had followed on Facebook several news outlets from around the world, such as Reuters, AP, NHK, the BBC, and more. Unfortunately, in sifting through these news feeds looking for stories relevant to this client’s interests, I was also exposed to a lot of news I found distressing.

In an attempt to counteract what I’ve found negative about Facebook and try to capitalize on what I find more positive, I’ve taken a few steps to change how I interact with the app. I offer them here in case you might find them helpful as well.

1. I only follow people I know or the companies they own. OK, maybe not entirely, but it’s pretty close. I got this idea from a friend of mine who said she had purged her feed of all companies and organizations and now only follows friends and family. This technique has helped me reduce the feeling of bad news overload. Now, if I want to find headlines or news, I either navigate to those pages on Facebook or look at them on the web. This helps me avoid having my news feed dominated by updates about the latest mass shooting or the total number of deaths in Ukraine or the impending economic recession. I still set aside time in my day to look at news like that, but it’s when I choose, not when Facebook chooses to put that information in my news feed. If I’ve logged in to Facebook hoping to find out what artwork my goddaughter has created recently, what wildlife my friend in Seattle has photographed lately, or what another friend’s jewelry company is selling today, I’m not necessarily in the right mindset to read about the world’s happenings. By not following news sites or other organizations, I can better determine when I see what type of information. Of course, this is not a foolproof technique, as Facebook still shows me lots of sponsored or “suggested for you” posts from pages I haven’t followed, and friends still share updates they’ve found on other sites. But it’s a help.  

2.  I try to limit how often I use Facebook. Notice the important word “try” in that sentence. I admit, once I downloaded the Facebook app to my phone, I began using it much more frequently than when I accessed it only through computer. I’m not sure why this is, but I suspect it has something to do with ease of access. Plus, when I’ve been working on my computer for a couple of hours and want to take a break, I’m more likely to pick up my phone to check Facebook for updates about friends and family (see number 1) than I am to stay seated at my computer and log in that way. Still, even when using Facebook on my phone as a break from work, I try to limit how long I stay on Facebook each time and how often in a day I use it. The other time I tend to use Facebook is when I can’t sleep at night. I know sleep experts say that when you have trouble sleeping, you should get out of bed for a while and then try again later. However, my current living arrangements don’t allow for that, as I would inadvertently wake up other people in the house by moving around. So, I sometimes go on Facebook to pass the time. Other times I’ll watch a video on my favorite streaming app. Either way, I think it’s important to be aware of how much time I’m spending on Facebook (or my phone in general). Once I have that awareness, I can adjust depending on how I think the time on Facebook or on my phone is affecting me. 

3. When I use Facebook, I aim to have meaningful interactions with people. This means when I read someone else’s post, I try not to just click one of the reaction icons and move on. OK, sometimes I do this, but often I try to write comments in response to posts. This is a relatively new habit for me, so it’s something I’m still trying to get used to. But I figure if I am on Facebook as a way of keeping in touch with friends and family (see number 1), then I want them to know more than just that I looked at their post. I want them to know what I thought of it. And similarly, when I post an update to Facebook (like the one announcing this blog entry), I appreciate the comments I receive in reply. I also try to say more than just “happy birthday” when Facebook reminds me someone is having a birthday. Instead, I try to write a little personalized sentiment, too. I don’t always succeed, and if I failed to do so on your birthday, please don’t be offended. Sometimes I don’t log in to Facebook, and I miss someone’s birthday completely. Other times I’m having a really busy day and the best I can make time for is a quick “happy birthday” message. Still, as in #2, I think being aware of what I’m doing on Facebook and how often has helped me make it more of the tool for maintaining connections with people I’d like it to be. 

So there you have them. Those are my three ways of making Facebook work better for me. What additional suggestions do you have? I’d love to know other techniques for making social media better.