Take What Resonates, and Leave What Doesn’t: How Do You Define What is ‘For You?'

It is the time when the stars spread among the sky; when the darkness has slipped into its quietest state. You are stuck laying in your bed, while simultaneously carrying the glare of the day. There you see videos that comfort you with your heavy heart, but don’t necessarily help you get through your listlessness. While doom scrolling, you come across a video of a tarot reader and decide to watch it to take a glimpse of your fortune. 

The tarot reader says, 

“Hey besties!!! If you see this, this may be for you. Take what resonates, and leave what doesn’t. You may take nothing at all. I did not manifest for you to see this on your For You Page—so if you ever come across this tarot reading—this may be for you!.” 

There, they shuffle the cards and pull out some of them. They tell you that the cards have spoken and you will be blessed with money and you will get the highest grades ever. You get excited from hearing your “destiny,” but it apparently comes with a price. To be able to claim your blessings, you must like, comment, and share the video with 3 friends. You’re taken aback, and you wonder, 

“Do I really want to consume this kind of content?”

“A social media algorithm is a set of computational rules and procedures used by social media platforms to sort, prioritize, and deliver content to users. These algorithms analyze user behavior, preferences, and interactions to personalize the content they see.” (Emplifi, n.d.)

In the realm of social media, it is common to see videos and posts in your feed that are aligned with your preferences, behaviors, and interests. However, it is important to think critically and see if these posts are for your benefit or for the if it is just for engagement. The media that is consumed in the For You Page (FYP) does not inherently mean it is “for you.”

These social media algorithms foster filter bubbles and echo chambers that give these users a false sense of assurance. 

Your feed promotes content that is similar to what you have engaged with, which polarizes the different Point of Views (POVs) you are exposed to and prevents you to be a critical thinker and reflect on the world around you. 

These algorithms are focused on creating engagement instead of what is best for your mental well-being. 

Social media platforms thrive on optimized metrics to capitalize your FYP, through prioritizing low quality content—brainrot, memes, etc.—instead of high quality content like documentaries, interviews, etc. This type of content does not necessarily benefit the viewer. 

The prolonged exposure to algorithms can worsen your mental well-being through avenues such as social comparison and emotion regulation. 

A study conducted on Passive social media use and psychological well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic shows that curated and idealized content, which leads to negative self-assessments and increased stress levels.

There may be people who believe that the For You Page is truly meant for you. However, does your FYP genuinely resonate with you or is it a feed dictated by what the algorithm thinks of you?

• What appears to “resonate” in the content of these social media platforms may just reflect algorithmic bias. 

• These “beneficial” contents may over-represent and mislead the user into doing something harmful. 

Suddenly, a noise that snaps you back to reality. 

You’re back at your bed, with the stars still sparkling in the night’s sky. You still carry the heaviness from the day you’ve had in your heart, but it seems that something in you popped. Your discernment has led you to reflect on something that you didn’t expect to learn from a simple tarot video. 

At the end of the day, the world we move in will force you to take what resonates and leave that doesn’t. There is never-ending beauty in finding something you’ve grown accustomed to. Something that the digital world and the real world have in common is that the habits you’ve gotten used to can give you comfort in times where life gets tough. It is up to you if you want to pop the bubble you’re in or keep it intact.

However, I would say that, life in its most pure essence teaches you how to find comfort in the most uncomfortable of places to bring you to the place that is truly ‘for you.’

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