Social media depressing you before the midterms? Log off

The word of the day is cacophony — or sound that’s harsh to the ear. 

That’s the first thing that comes to mind when I log on to social media.

I know what I’m about to say sounds counterintuitive coming from someone who makes online content for a living — but I strongly encourage spending a little less time on social media ahead of the midterms.

I don’t mean to project here, but if you’re interested in politics, it’s highly likely that you’ve been seeking refuge in favorable polling data or worrying yourself sick over seemingly unfavorable numbers you’ve been getting about this fall’s races. Who’s going to take over the House? Who’s going to take over the Senate? How’s everyone *feeling*?

The weight of these unavoidable questions, and what they may mean for our very existence as a nation, can feel unbearable. And there’s a lot that we can do to ourselves — both positive and negative — as we try to fill the vacuum of time between now and whenever the results are certified.

Being extremely online falls in the latter category.

I felt I’d found a kindred spirit a couple of days back when my MSNBC colleague Chris Hayes tweeted this:

I interpreted “attention market” as a reference to all the (absurd) things that political figures, and aspiring political figures, are doing to garner our attention. On that note, I do feel some troubling similarities to 2016 — most acutely when I’m on social media. 

From inauthentic accounts trying to sway us, to right-wing conspiracy theorists trying to deceive us, to politicians stoking violence, and even rappers in their twilight aligning themselves with fascists, 2022 feels very much like 2016 in the digital world. 

With hindsight and the help of dogged investigators, we know the 2016 elections were perverted by countries like Russia that fed disinformation and propaganda through social media to Americans with the goal of helping Donald Trump and the GOP win the White House.

Ahead of this year’s midterms, I’ve published posts about past and ongoing attempts to manipulate Americans using social media, along with Congress’ generally inadequate responses to these attacks, as a warning to be vigilant about things you see and share online. 

Let me be clear: Some of the existential dread you may feel — perhaps, even some apathy — might be genuine. On the other hand, some of it might be from constantly scrolling through content that’s meant to irritate or immobilize you. 

This isn’t me telling you to leave social media completely, but rather to keep some perspective. Social media is an incredibly powerful tool. But not more powerful than the vote itself. And given that some states have already started accepting mail-in ballots, it feels like my energy is better focused on supporting get-out-the-vote efforts than doomscrolling online. 

My friends: Take a breath, do yourself a favor and put the phone and laptop down for a few in the coming weeks. (Except to read The ReidOut Blog, of course.)

The storm of polling and questionable punditry will soon give way to real results, and it will silence a lot of noise online in the process.