Don't believe everything you read!
At the end of last year, I designed and delivered a workshop on digital wellbeing. As I prepared the content, I worried the topic might be too dry. After all, we all know the standard advice: use your phone less, spend more time outdoors, and avoid screens before bed. That’s it, right?
Not quite.
The deeper I researched, the more fascinated (and honestly, alarmed) I became. Yes, excessive screen time affects our mental health, focus, and productivity. Yes, blue light exposure can disrupt sleep. But what truly stopped me in my tracks was the realisation of how easily we are manipulated online, how our opinions become polarised, and how seamlessly we adopt extreme viewpoints without even noticing it.
How social media shapes our reality
In the past, we got our news from newspapers and TV. While different media outlets had their own biases, the general public was exposed to the same major stories.
Today, social media algorithms curate our news feeds based on our interests, interactions, and past behaviours. The content we consume becomes more tailored, more one-sided, and ultimately, more extreme.
This is how digital echo chambers form - where we are only exposed to viewpoints that reinforce our existing beliefs while alternative perspectives are filtered out.
The danger of curated news feeds
I’ll never forget my shock when the UK voted to leave the EU.
I remember thinking, no one I knew voted to leave! But that was the problem - my online world wasn’t a reflection of the entire UK population. My social feeds were carefully curated to reinforce my perspective, leaving me blindsided by the reality of the broader national sentiment.
The same thing happens with everything from political views to celebrity opinions, shaping our understanding of the world in ways we don’t even realise.
The Meghan Markle & Cynthia Erivo effect
A few years ago, when Meghan Markle and Prince Harry did their interview with Oprah, I had a moment of realisation.
After years of reading negative headlines about Meghan, I turned to my husband and said, “You know, I think that’s the first time I’ve ever actually heard Meghan Markle’s voice.”
Years of passive media consumption had shaped my opinion of her - without me ever questioning where that narrative came from or why.
Fast forward to the Wicked movie promotion, and I noticed the same pattern with Cynthia Erivo. Subtle, negative headlines suggested she was difficult in interviews, sarcastic, or “a bit of an arse.”
But this time, I made a conscious decision to seek out her actual interviews rather than just skim misleading headlines. What I found was a warm, thoughtful, and articulate person - completely at odds with the media’s portrayal (the fact these are both women of colour is not lost on me!)
When I mentioned it to my husband, he shrugged and said he hadn’t even heard of the Wicked movie.
That’s when it really hit me: we can be consuming entirely different versions of reality without even realising it.
Taking back control of our digital wellbeing
Now, more than ever, we need to be critical of the content we consume. Here’s how we can take back control:
Question Everything: Don’t take every headline at face value. Investigate sources and consider the agenda behind the story.
Diversify Your News Feed: Follow a variety of perspectives and news sources to break out of digital echo chambers.
Actively Challenge Algorithms: Engage with content outside your usual interests to disrupt social media’s tendency to reinforce your biases.
Limit Passive Scrolling: Be intentional about how you consume digital content rather than mindlessly absorbing whatever appears in your feed.
Listen First-Hand: Watch full interviews, read direct quotes, and seek out primary sources rather than relying on snippets or second-hand interpretations.
Digital wellbeing Is about awareness
The internet and social media are powerful tools, but they can also be dangerous if we don’t use them with awareness. By taking control of our digital consumption, we can resist manipulation, avoid polarisation, and develop a more balanced, informed perspective on the world.
What steps do you take to challenge digital echo chambers and improve your digital wellbeing? Let me know in the comments!
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