How to Use Social Media in a Healthy and Powerful Manner

How to Use Social Media in a Healthy and Powerful Manner

Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven. All rights reserved.

Imagine if we organized as a community for significant issues.  What if news reporters chose to stop giving us fluffy, bloody, short, shiny news stories online?  What if our local politicians stopped presenting a million different projects and promises each day on social media?  What if our efforts were focused on and offline?  We could focus and think through and encourage many healthy habits, causes, and sentiments.  A healthy and powerful use of social media is how we can truly liberate ourselves and live in a more meaningful way.

Reading items online we often get outraged, inspired, appalled, animated, and enthusiastic.  Certain topics related to our culture, media, politics, sports, food, et cetera are clickbait, attract attention, for responses.  It is important to keep in mind that social media sites are for communication and sharing.  As an involved citizen it is important to develop a reputation that you are an expert and professional.

Social networking can spread important news and social movements in a flash.  Respect and careful use is of course necessary, as in everything we do in life.  Life is short, so it is essential whatever we do it is useful, informative, respectful, or healthy.

As award-winning filmmaker Gary Turk stated, “I don't want you to stop using social media or smartphones.  I use social media only when appropriate, and to keep followers up to date with new projects and fun/interesting things.”  

In “Look Up”, Turk demonstrated how “social media can disengage us from real relationships, human interactions and living in the real world.”  The film was nominated for a Webby Award and won two Gold Lovie Awards for Best Viral Film and Best Individual Performance.  

The last stanzas of “Look Up” by Turk are powerful enough to re-read a few times.  

So look up from your phone, 

shut down those displays,

we have a finite existence, 

a set number of days.

Why waste all our time getting caught in the net,


as when the end comes, nothing’s worse than regret.

I am guilty too, of being part of this machine,
 this digital world, 

where we are heard but not seen.


Where we type and don’t talk, where we read as we chat,


where we spend hours together, without making eye contact.

Don’t give in to a life where you follow the hype,


give people your love, don’t give them your like.


Disconnect from the need to be heard and defined


Go out into the world, leave distractions behind.

Look up from your phone, 

shut down that display,


stop watching this video, 

live life the real way. (75-88)

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Credit: youtube.com/watch?v=Z7dLU6fk9QY&t=42s, garyturk.com