There is a lot in the news recently about the harm social media can do. The concentration is on the harm to children, and rightly. Young people do not have the wherewithal to make distinctions between true and false, real and artificial, helpful and harmful. But that damage is also happening to all those adults who have become addicted to their social media feeds. In fact, feeds is an excellent description for the way social media works.

I came across a brilliant analogy for it recently: following social media is like eating ultra-processed food. It is deliberately made to be tasty, addictive, and easy to swallow. Nutrients are few and you are left wanting more. The effect on our bodies and health is disastrous.

Social media is in bite-sized, easy to swallow pieces, with the desire for more of the same built in and easily accessible. It is reduced down from a story with a context to a headline designed to grab your attention – and that is if there is any truth in it at all! It is disastrous for your mental health.

The potential of social media for good is enormous. It could help people to be more informed easily, and give us access to a bigger picture of what’s going on in the world. Instead, it is primarily geared to creating more profit for those who own the platforms, by hooking you in with its algorhythms, feeding you with momentary tastes that you will want more of.

Don’t allow it to dominate your view of the world. Look up and around, and appreciate the healthier perspectives that exist. Read, talk, look for difference not the same, and take time to enjoy life and the world we really live in.