Like many people in society today, we know we spend too much time online—but for social-media managers, it is our job to be there. A social-media manager, a position that was unheard of a decade ago, experiences tremendous stress.
Social media can be a toxic place—especially for those of us who work in that space. Angry users seem to forget that a human being is behind the brand’s account they are screaming at or the story they are criticizing.
At the most recent Online News Association conference in Austin, Texas, I asked editors, “How do you manage your mental health while managing social media?” The universal response was, “Wow. That’s a really good question.” I quickly realized that we share experiences, anxieties, and coping mechanisms, up to and including check-ins with mental-health professionals.
We spend countless hours online not just scheduling tweets, but also sharing and reading comments, crunching the analytics and creating reports on audience reach and growth. We relish seeing our stories go viral, prompting lots of discussion, and increasing our followers. But it’s a lonely place—and often frightening. Our professional profiles—either public or private—often lead to harassment and abusive online attacks.
Social-media managers see the best of the internet and the worst. It’s hard not to feel it personally.
“It is designed to hurt,” said Tracey Spencer, a psychologist in Washington, whom I called for advice. “That’s what bullies do. These people are projecting their own feelings and insecurities, and likely don’t know how to be empathetic. What they are saying has nothing to do with you.”
So how do those of us in this small, but growing, profession keep our balance and sanity, while still doing our work?
Erica Williams Simon, head of the Creator’s Lab at Snapchat, told me she gets “hate mail and hate tweets just because I am a black woman. People will attack you.” Walks, prayer, or meditation and art help her cope, she said. She also mentioned that Snapchat offers great benefits for its employees, including generous time off and free mental-health services.
Simon doesn’t engage on hot topics, is careful about what she retweets, and doesn’t allow herself to get drawn into toxic debates. “The internet isn’t my life. I’m responsible with how I use my voice online. It’s just like real life. You don’t join every discussion or say everything that you think in real life.”
She also suggested that colleagues feed themselves good content after a particularly grueling day online, adding: “Remember that you’re seeing the worst of people, and look for the good ones.”
When faced with a tough day, Bobby Blanchard, social-media editor at The Texas Tribune, said his managers support taking time off for mental health. One of his tips was setting all notifications on his cellphone to “Do Not Disturb” after leaving work—a tip also shared by Gene Park, social-media editor at The Washington Post.
“My colleagues are watching me, and I have to set a good example for self-care and healthy work habits. I don’t want them to feel like they have to always be on, because they see me doing it,” Park said. The Tribune’s social-media team also uses Slack messenger and has a channel devoted to reporting, discussing and blocking trolls from their accounts.
“Moving to London was a wake-up call,” said Sari Zeidler, editorial director of growth at Quartz, a digitally native business news site. Her manager was upset when she emailed ideas to employees after hours, she said.
“It’s so different from the American way, and it helped me to create efficiency at my job here,” Zeidler said. “I realized I was working too much and not unplugging.”
Her advice: Set daily, manageable goals and block people who post hate speech or any kind of harassment.
Still, even if you block offenders and delete comments, you can’t unread their words. The insults and occasional racial slurs linger long after you log off. Spencer reminded me to “try to stop internalizing offensive comments” and to make sure to focus on “real” life. She recommends setting parameters around when you work and when you sign off. “In any job you have, you have to make time for yourself.”
I admit that when it comes to social media, I sometimes operate on autopilot. I don’t have my notifications set for “Do Not Disturb” after work. I often check comments, retweet things, and check what’s trending on Twitter when I can’t sleep. Maybe I have to rethink that balance.
“There is only so much creative juice that you have,” Blanchard said. “Part of being good at my job means logging off.”
For those of us in (and out of) the profession, I think that’s the best advice.
Chaseedaw Giles is a social-media manager for Kaiser Health News. Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health-policy news service.
