EDITOR’S NOTE: The views expressed on this commentary are solely these of the author. NCS is showcasing the work of The Conversation, a collaboration between journalists and teachers to present information evaluation and commentary. The content is produced solely by The Conversation.
When graphic movies go viral, just like the current deadly shooting of Charlie Kirk, it may possibly really feel inconceivable to protect your self from seeing stuff you didn’t consent to see. But there are steps you possibly can take.
Social media platforms are designed to maximize engagement, not protect your peace of mind. The main platforms have additionally reduced their content moderation efforts over the previous 12 months or so. That means upsetting content can attain you even while you by no means selected to watch it.
You don’t have to watch each piece of content that crosses your display screen, nonetheless. Protecting your personal psychological state shouldn’t be avoidance or denial. As a researcher who studies ways to counteract the destructive results of social media on psychological well being and well-being, I consider it’s a method of safeguarding the bandwidth you want to keep engaged, compassionate and efficient.
Research exhibits that repeated publicity to violent or disturbing media can improve stress, heighten nervousness and contribute to emotions of helplessness. These results are usually not simply short-term. Over time, they erode the emotional sources you rely on to take care of your self and others.
Protecting your consideration is a type of care. Liberating your consideration from dangerous content shouldn’t be withdrawal. It is reclaiming your strongest artistic pressure: your consciousness.
Just as with meals, not all the things on the desk is supposed to be eaten. You wouldn’t eat one thing spoiled or poisonous just because it was served to you. In the identical method, not each piece of media specified by your feed deserves your consideration. Choosing what to devour is a matter of well being.
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And whilst you can select what you retain in your personal kitchen cupboards, you typically have much less management over what exhibits up in your feeds. That is why it helps to take intentional steps to filter, block and set boundaries.
Fortunately, there are simple methods to cut back your probabilities of being confronted with violent or disturbing movies. Here are 4 that I like to recommend:
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Turn off autoplay or restrict delicate content. Note that these settings can fluctuate relying on system, working system and app model, and can change.
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Use key phrase filters. Most platforms permit you to mute or block particular phrases, phrases or hashtags. This reduces the prospect that graphic or violent content slips into your feed.
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Curate your feed. Unfollow accounts that repeatedly share disturbing photos. Follow accounts that carry you information, connection or pleasure as an alternative.
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Set boundaries. Reserve phone-free time throughout meals or earlier than mattress. Research exhibits that intentional breaks reduce stress and improve well-being.
Social media shouldn’t be impartial. Its algorithms are engineered to hold your attention, even when meaning amplifying dangerous or sensational materials. Watching passively solely serves the pursuits of the social media firms. Choosing to protect your consideration is a method to reclaim your company.
The urge to observe alongside in actual time could be robust, particularly throughout crises. But selecting not to watch each disturbing picture shouldn’t be neglect; it’s self-preservation. Looking away protects your potential to act with goal. When your consideration is hijacked, your power goes into shock and outrage. When your consideration is regular, you possibly can select the place to make investments it.
Read extra: Social media can support or undermine democracy – it comes down to how it’s designed
You are usually not powerless. Every boundary you set – whether or not it’s turning off autoplay, filtering content or curating your feed – is a method of taking management over what enters your mind. These actions are the inspiration for having the ability to join with others, assist individuals and work for significant change.
I’m the manager director of the Post-Internet Project, a nonprofit devoted to serving to individuals navigate the psychological and social challenges of life on-line. With my crew, I designed the evidence-backed PRISM intervention to assist individuals handle their social media use.
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Our research-based program emphasizes company, intention and values alignment because the keys to growing more healthy patterns of media consumption. You can attempt the PRISM course of for your self with an internet class I’m launching by Coursera in October 2025. You can discover the course, Values Aligned Media Consumption, by trying to find Annie Margaret on the University of Colorado Boulder on Coursera. The course is aimed toward anybody 18 and over, and the movies are free to watch.