In the same way that we breathe, the rampant use of social networks has taken place in the routine of millions of people as if it were something natural, something we already do without realizing it and in a constant, automatic way. Who has never picked up their cell phone and entered apps compulsively, unintentionally, even if there was no notification and ended up logging in for hours? Our brain has adapted or has been forced to live in this world that doesn't stop and, little by little, has gotten used to not stopping too.
Whether you like it or not, this habit greatly influences your behavior and even your health in a way that can be harmful, as in cases where people reported anxiety, low self-esteem and even depression for being heavy users of networks and incessantly encounter harmful content online. Which brings us to face one of the latest decisions made by one of the most famous social networks in the world: Instagram, which stopped showing the number of likes on publications.
This choice of photo sharing and editing app did not end with the network likes, but the left hidden for those who browse the feed, appearing only to the profile owner. In this way, the public will no longer relate to this data and actions more important than just liking can start to be considered. The company's proposal is that this helps its community to engage more with the photos and videos than with the social acceptance generated by the number of likes, ending the feeling of “competition”. With the update, Instagram also expects people to focus less on likes they receive and more on sharing stories on their page.
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If this digital world is crazy for users, imagine for the internet celebrities who need to run after renowned sponsors, “partnerships” and increasingly create more content to try to get a space and win the recognition of the attentive eyes on the small screens. of cell phones? Changes made in the reach and visibility systems of social networks often generate the need to create and post publications without stopping to feed the internet and, only then, have your publications appear on the timelines of those who enjoy your content: whoever wins being able to post more, generate more interactions so that the social network itself wins.
Ever since the youtuber Nátaly Neri, from the channel Afros e Afins by Nátaly Neri, published a video talking about the Slow Blogging – a way to produce content more slowly, this has become a wild subject for content creators across the internet. According to Nataly, the positioning of “blogger devagar” is part of the “Slow Living” movement, which has several aspects, including Slow Fashion, and aims to make you lead your life at a more relaxed pace, going against this current demand that forces the rush and slowing down.
In 2016, Todd Sieling wrote the “Slow Blogging Manifesto”, in which he shared guidelines for those who didn't want to be part of the wave of immediacy and valued the quality more than the quantity of the content posted.
“Slow Blogging” is a rejection of immediacy. It's a statement that not all things are worth writing quickly," Todd told the New York Times in 2008.
Escaping from the high demand for content creation and the unbridled consumption of so much information generates benefits in the short and long term. A study published by the University of Pittsburgh found that a person who spends two hours a day on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter has twice the risk of isolation compared to someone who spends about 30 minutes to an hour a day on the same networks; outside the pressure of always wanting to post something that gets likes to be “somebody” online, which can cause depression, anxiety, bullying and other health problems.
