The internet used to be a welcome escape from real life. You could hop online to play games, chat with your friends, discover new music, or blog about your life. Today, however, it’s inescapable. Even our watches, air fryers, and washing machines are connected to wi-fi.
While there have certainly been benefits that have come along with being so connected, there are plenty of downsides as well. 70% of young people in the United Kingdom say that they feel worse after using social media, and 46% admit that they’d rather live in a world without the internet altogether. That’s why sometimes, it’s necessary to just detach and stop taking the internet so seriously. And the perfect solution might be to look at a random list of absurd and hilarious photos like this.
The internet can feel like a pretty bleak place if you only come here to doomscroll or read the news. But it doesn’t have to be like that. Instead, it can be a great place to keep in touch with long-distance best friends and relatives. It can be the source of inspiration for your artwork, or the place where you find recipes to impress your partner with for dinner.
And of course, you can go online for endless sources of entertainment. Most of us could probably stand to reduce our screen time, as the average person spends nearly seven hours per day staring at screens. But if you are going to be online, you might as well spend that time intentionally.
When it comes to navigating the internet intentionally, Becoming Minimalist warns that social media is a stream that is very easy to fall into. Don’t slip in and go with the flow, as it might lead you to some toxic places. Jump in, participate in conversations, and jump back out. Remember that social media is not real life.
It’s also wise to use social media for creation more than for consumption. Share your artwork, your recipes, and send photos to your friends. Don’t just mindlessly consume.
Something else to keep in mind when online is that everyone is writing fiction about themselves. They want their lives to appear far more exciting and perfect than they truly are. We all have to do chores, and almost nobody is actually jetsetting every single weekend. Just because someone is smiling in every photo doesn’t mean that they’re truly happy or smiling every minute of the day. Remember to take everything you see with a grain of salt.
Your experience on the internet will be dictated by what you choose to consume. So prioritize substance over clickbait. If you come away from your time scrolling feeling like you actually learned something or that you feel better about yourself and the world, you weren’t simply wasting time. On the flip side, if you engage with mindless or toxic content, even just for fun, it might start to take a toll on how you feel or perceive the world.
You can also focus on making the internet a more positive place. To go about doing this, Do Something suggests following uplifting pages and muting or blocking anything toxic. By seeing positive posts, you’ll be encouraged to share your own as well. It can be anything from wholesome moments with loved ones to adorable videos of your cats. If you spread joy and positivity, you’ll find it much easier to focus on the bright side of life.
