It’s nearly impossible to have a strong home if you’re constantly barraged with negativity on your Facebook feed. So many people have left facebook these days because they’re fed up. Every other post is a rudely expressed opinion, profanity, or political junk from both sides of the aisle. You can change that on your Facebook feed! Social media can be a powerful tool that can be used for God’s glory and our good. We should take the time to use it well. That’s why I haven’t left yet!
I remember when Facebook first became a “thing” in my life, I was so intrigued about reconnecting with old friends, seeing their pictures, and reading their updates. It was annoying when the ads started rolling in and the algorithms changed. But I still enjoyed the connection that Facebook brought. These days social media has become downright discouraging, with so much ugliness by people who are supposed to be friends. So in recent months I’ve made a conscious effort to cultivate a more positive Facebook feed. Read on to see how you can do it too.
1. Choose your friends wisely.
Remember when mama taught you to choose your friends wisely? That applies to Facebook friends too! If you would duck and run if you bump into her at Walmart, you don’t need her on Facebook. You are the one that controls who you see on your feed! You don’t have to be friends with everyone! If you choose your Facebook friends wisely, you will have a feed full of encouraging posts that you actually want to see!
This doesn’t mean that you limit your Facebook friendships just to people you agree with. I really appreciate reading posts from people who see things differently than me, as long as they express their feelings with kindness and not negativity or rude sarcasm.
How to do it: When you receive a friend request, ask yourself if you want to be friends with this person in real life. If you’re not quite sure who the person is, do a little recon. Click over to their profile and click on “Friends”. Then check out the list of mutual friends to see if you have any friends in common. If not, it’s probably a scammer and you should just delete the friend request. Sometimes, I also scroll through the person’s timeline to see if it looks like they only use their page to sell products. If I’m not interested in what they’re selling, I delete the request. You can too!
2. The unfollow button is your best Facebook friend.
We’ve all got that one friend who is constantly posting something that annoys us. It might be political or profane or just irritating. It might be someone that makes you feel like you’re not doing enough or that your baby isn’t as cute as theirs or that you’re a terrible mother or wife. You don’t need that kind of stuff in your life! Unfollow!
Sometimes the people you need to unfollow are not intentionally making you feel terrible about yourself. Sometimes that’s just the sin of envy and jealousy creeping into your heart. If you begin to feel jealous or sad when you see posts by certain people, it’s time to unfollow them.
Don’t worry, when you unfollow someone on Facebook, you’ll stay friends, but you won’t see their posts anymore. You can always look them up if you want to know what’s going on. And the best part is, they won’t know that you’ve unfollowed them!
How to do it: Click on the three dots in the top right corner of the post. Scroll down to “Unfollow __________”. You won’t see them in your feed anymore.
3. Use the snooze.
Sometimes there are people that you want to snooze for a season. Maybe there’s a friend that you want to avoid for a political season. It could be that you’re tired of seeing all the elves on all the shelves in December. Maybe you just need a break from seeing your friend’s new baby or you’ve seen enough pictures of Halloween costumes. The problem is, you don’t want to unfollow completely, you just need a break. They won’t know you snoozed them!
Allow me to introduce you to the snooze button!
How to do it: Click on the three dots in the top right corner of the post. Scroll down to “Snooze _______ for 30 days”. Don’t worry, you’ll catch up with them next month.
4. Hide similar posts and ads.
Are you seeing ads for things that you don’t want to see? Is Facebook reading your mind and showing you ads for things you’ve only ever thought about? If you’re annoyed at someone’s posts or at the ads you’re having to scroll through, use the “Hide” button. (You know, I really wish I could tell you a way to get rid of the ads completely, but that’s not gonna happen!)
How to do it: Click on the three dots in the top right corner of the post or the ad. Scroll to “Hide post” or “Hide ad” and you won’t have to see that one anymore.
5. Share the good stuff.
Click over to your own timeline (profile) and scroll through what you’ve posted recently. If you sow negative content, you’re going to reap negative content. If you constantly share sarcasm, satire, and degrading memes, your experience on Facebook will be pretty negative. On the other hand, if you share the good stuff, you’ll be encouraging others to do the same!
I’m not saying that all you should post is Bible verses and church services. I enjoy a funny political meme as much as anyone! But if you’re getting a lot of negativity on the things you post, try posting positive content most often. You can’t share a degrading meme or article and then expect people to take you seriously later. Good trees bear good fruit!
You are the one who controls your social media feed. Facebook can be a positive experience, allowing you to keep up with old friends, share pictures with family, and stay in-the-know about events and activities that you are interested in. Facebook is also an amazing tool for sharing the hope of Jesus with people you wouldn’t normally get to talk to on a daily basis. Start creating your own positive Facebook feed the next time you log on!
How to do it: Don’t feel like you need to do all of this at once. Start small, by unfollowing, snoozing, or hiding just a few people at a time. Before you know it, you will have created a positive Facebook feed for yourself each time you log on!
REMEMBER:
While you’re here, grab a beautiful free printable of Isaiah 26:8 from The Strong Home!
Have other good ideas about cultivating a positive experience on social media? Share away!
Great advice. Over the years I have snoozed, unfollowed, and deleted friend requests. I seriously thought of deleting Facebook many times over the years, mainly the last 8. I just don’t want to miss seeing friends from so many places and from childhood to military to seminary to ministry opportunities. So, I haven’t left yet. I hope and pray God is not ashamed of my posts, that others see I have hope in a seemingly hopeless culture, and posts encourage or entertain or equip. Thank you for sharing how others can see Facebook in a different light.