Social Media – a saviour or a sin in Lockdown?

Only five years ago, one would receive their daily selection of news via the TV, often with programmes dedicated to the cause of showing the news for the day. Now, times have rapidly changed, with many of this information coming from social media sites and news apps on one’s phone. In a time where social issues and activism are being displayed online before any other media coverage, having social media has been more crucial than ever. 

Of course, this has to be taken with a pinch of salt. During lockdown, I had a deep cleanse of my following list, making sure that I was only participating in viewing people’s posts who I either knew or influencers who had policies I believed in. At the start of lockdown, it was prominent that a wave of implicit fatphobia was spreading over social media.

People discussing the ‘Covid Calories’ they gained, or the workout plans they issued to lose such weight gained from it were swiftly unfollowed.

There was no point making myself feel guilty for the food I ate over lockdown, or obsessing over how I looked, during an actual pandemic. Self-care is not just a hot bath or a face mask, but also prioritising the information we choose to expose ourselves to.

With face to face interactions now becoming a thing of the past, social media was a brilliant way to keep in touch with friends who did not live close. Whilst it certainly is not the same as seeing them in person, there was something comforting about seeing my friends posting photos or sending funny jokes over social media. When there is a global pandemic occurring, any sort of normality is always appreciated. 

I know there is the classic and cliche ‘live in the moment’ approach that some people take with social media and I acknowledge how toxic social media can be. Yet, I found myself using social media way more than usual during lockdown. Perhaps it was because I missed my friends, or because I had way more time in the day to procrastinate. Either way, I know that I did enjoy scrolling through endless photos of banana bread that my friends had uploaded onto various social media platforms. 

In mid-May, the BLM movement suddenly erupted after the murder of George Floyd. It was here that social media boomed with its presence of educators, activists and those willing to learn. More voices were being used to educate followers about the movement, alongside other social issues which were occurring at the same time, such as the crisis in Yemen.

Social media became the new 5 o’clock news, but this time, there was no time designation.

Every minute of every hour, people were producing new information to upload onto social media, especially Instagram, as a tool to educate others around the world. Now, there is no excuse to not be informed of global events. 

Social media has changed the way we view politics and the way we can be involved with social change. Right now, social media has allowed me to be at the heart of this. 

Madeleine Rosie Strom

Featured image courtesy of  Pixelkult on Pixabay. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.