Resilience tactics for social media professionals
Tackling the current state of social
The rise in hate speech, misinformation and disinformation is creating an increasingly challenging environment for social media and community managers, both in Australia and globally.
With nearly 80% of the Australian population using social media, evidence of growing bot & coordinated activity and high-volume comment loads, social media professionals face a high risk of exposure to distressing content and burn-out.
It’s a challenging and invisible burden, highlighting the need to prioritise self-care, seek support and implement additional resources to support social media teams. Building and bolstering resilience skills is becoming a key component of the moderator’s toolkit.
Image Credit – Daria Shevtsova via Unsplash
The critical importance of self-care
The internet never sleeps, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t!
Social media professionals working on the front line may be impacted by managing distressing or negative content, bad behaviour or community conflict. This includes sensitive topics such as suicide and self-harm, disclosures of abuse, graphic imagery, hate speech and discriminatory language including racism & sexism. Social media managers may also encounter abusive language and behaviour, making it crucial to recognise the emotional toll this exposure can take.
Incorporating small, positive habits into your daily routine will significantly improve coping mechanisms, reduce stress and support resilience. Take a moment to create a “Coping Skills List” – a list of simple, low or no-cost activities which help you unwind and reset your focus.
Here a few practical examples which can assist with community manager self-care and staying balanced:
- Taking a short walk
- Practising deep breathing exercises
- Stopping for a glass of water, herbal tea or mindful snack
- Listening to music
- Speaking to a friend
- Spending time in nature.
With so much time spent online, it’s crucial that social media managers find ways to ensure a sustainable work day and non-working time which enables rest & restoration.
Practical tips to strengthen resilience & support your team
Lacking resilience can lead to feelings of overwhelm and the development of unhealthy coping mechanisms. In contrast, fostering resilience helps us navigate and recover from stressful situations, challenges and crises.
A resilient individual recognises and manages their own emotions while also understanding the feelings of others.
Organisations play a vital role in reducing workplace stress and enabling resilience by fostering supportive environments. Maintaining a positive team environment and proper digital health is essential for safeguarding yourself & your team.
Some common strategies to employ in the workplace include:
- Create an inclusive and positive work atmosphere, including a safe environment to share & de-brief on issues arising on social media
- Ensure team members take their entitled breaks and leave
- Determine shorter work periods for difficult or disturbing tasks
- Provide team members with a degree of autonomy in managing their work
- Consider options for rotating out-of-hours moderation duties or seeking external support
- Connect team members with an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and/or share contact information for support organisations like Beyond Blue and Lifeline.
To help your team members maintain resilience, encourage practices such as regular digital detoxes with scheduled “no-screen” time and avoiding mindless scrolling by limiting time spent online. You may even wish to consider suggesting a personal social media audit and reviewing which channels best serve their current communication goals.
If you or your team are navigating the challenges of managing online communities and feeling the weight of this, you are not alone. Take a moment to invest in self-care and resilience tactics — because sustaining your own wellbeing is a key foundation for building and sustaining your community!
Additional Resources
In need of team support? If you are interested in our Resilience Training for Social Media & Community Managers group training, please get in touch.