Even if you’re not an activist, there are many ways you can be subtly supportive on social media.
You can make space for the conversation by posting less. Many people will only see a handful of posts each day – what will those be? Will your post be helpful or informative? Will it draw attention to those in need? Or will it be lifting yourself up? Be conscientious about how you consume space.
You can lift up other voices. The way the algorithm works is pretty simple: comments, likes, and shares all increase a post’s visibility, pushing it to the top of everyone’s feed. If you find good information or perspectives, help spread that message. Encourage the people creating and sharing helpful content. Be generous.
You can ignore toxic contributions. The best thing you can do when you encounter an awful take on social media is just to keep scrolling. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram all track how long you look at individual posts – it’s one of their measurements of engagement. Don’t comment, don’t add an angry react – any response from you will increase that post’s visibility for all of that person’s followers. If you feel it’s important to respond, do it through DMs. Be cautious of how you spend your energy.
The movement is still going very strong, even if it’s not on the front page of the news. Minor victories have been achieved, but there’s so much farther to go. To succeed, we have to be thoughtful and strategic.