UNIT 6: SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE INTERNET
My name‿ is‿ Alex,│ and‿ I have been‿ on social media│ since‿ I was fifteen. I have‿ about 2,000 followers‿ on one platform,│ and‿ I pos(t) three or four times‿ a week,│ mostly photos‿ of running‿ an(d) food.
Las(t) year,│ I noticed something‿ unpleasant. I was comparing myself to other people‿ all the time:│ their holidays,│ their flat,│ their jobs. I knew it was stupid,│ because‿ an‿ influencer's life‿ is‿ a selection‿ of the bes(t) ten minutes‿ of the week,│ but Ibud I still fel(t) bad. I also wasted three hours‿ a day scrolling,│ and‿ I checked notifications│ before‿ I got‿ out ofoutta bed.
What helped was changing my habits,│ not deleting‿ everything. I switched‿ off notifications,│ I unfollowed twentytwen-dy accounts,│ and‿ I set my privacy settings so that‿ only friends can see my photos. I also decided never to post‿ a screenshot‿ of‿ a private conversation,│ because that can destroy a friendship. Now I use the platforms for‿ about fortyfor-dy minutes‿ a day. They are‿ a tool,│ an(d) like‿ any tool,│ they are dangerous‿ only│ if they use you.