Why You Should Diversify Your Feed
Your social media platforms are yours to do what you want with. For many of us, we gravitate towards curating a feed that essentially becomes an echo chamber - likeminded people with similar interests and worldviews. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s great to create a space for yourself that inspires you and brings you joy. We’re all on social media for different reasons: entertainment, connecting with others, networking, activism and the list goes on. Regardless of your motivation for being on social media, there are definitely reasons why you should also choose to diversify your feed.
Diversifying your feed is not just about following Black people or accounts run by Black people - it’s about broadening your worldview. Opening yourself up to the lives and experiences of Black people. It’s also a great way to expose yourself to opinions that may not be part of your sphere of influence.
To borrow Mark Twain’s words: “[t]ravel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”
Of course, diversifying your feed is not the same as travelling at all, but we can’t deny that social media has made the world a smaller place and for those who may not be able to travel far and wide, social media might render itself as the way to break out of their echo chambers.
If you’re on social media for entertainment and follow accounts that make you laugh, consider following Black accounts that serve up laughs on the regular. Black people are hilarious. Seriously. You’d be doing yourself a favour (you HAVE to check out @embracingblackculture). If you love following particular accounts for the different hobbies you enjoy such as travel or art, consider following Black travel accounts and art accounts... whatever it is, there is bound to be a Black account for it.
Diversifying your feed is also great for professionals who would love to learn from others in their field or connect with peers in their profession. The corporate world is playing catch-up on issues of equity, diversity and inclusion. If you’re not Black, Indigenous or a person of colour, diversifying your feed is a great way to educate yourself on the experiences of marginalised groups in the corporate world.
During the month of October, we did a little something called ‘31 Days of Greatness’ highlighting a range of Black people and accounts to follow from Black athletes and models to artists and professionals. We (pretty much) covered it ALL - but be sure to head over to our Instagram for more!
Finally, if you are interested in doing the work of actively being antiracist, following activists entrenched in the work as part of your feed is helpful for informing, educating and encouraging you to keep up the good fight.
Whatever your reason, no harm can come from diversifying your feed.
Next Up - Why You Should Support Black Owned Businesses