A Guide for Expats

Perhaps one of the biggest changes over the past quarter-century has been, alongside the omnipresence of smartphones, the growth of social media into something everyone is on. And it’s something that dominates our converstaions - in politics, the media, and everything. As with everything we focus on the negatives, but it is really an amazing thing - and surely there’s a way to make social media a positive aspect of life?

Among expats, social media is particularly useful. While 30 years going abroad meant being somewhat cut off from everyone back home, now it’s as easy to keep in touch with your loved ones as hitting ‘post’ on an app. Of course there are terrible, negative aspects to social media, but social media is an incredibly powerful tool. Here are the following ways we think social media can be a positive - especially for expats:

Using Social Media to Stay Connected with Family and Friends

Practically everyone’s on some form of social media these days - whether it’s Facebook or Instagram, Tik-tok or Snapchat. So where’s easier to keep in touch with your loved ones than social media? Considering the Metaverse’s messaging services (WhatsApp and Messenger), it’s so easy to video-call friends and family that babies often accidentally do it. This is a huge and monumental shift from the days in the past when video calls were a figment of Science Fiction’s imagination and the best was international - and expensive - phone calls! In fact, social media is so widespread and so many people’s immediate messaging option that you may well find getting an actual phone number in your new country isn’t something you need to bother with - only getting a new data plan.

Joining Expat Communities and Support Groups

But more than keeping in touch with your old friends, social media makes it easy to find new chums in your adopted home. By looking on Facebook or trawling through Instagram tags, it’s incredibly easy to find expat groups and communities online - even before you set foot out the door of your old home! We’d always advise searching for groups of expats or foreigners on the social media platforms of your choice, especially bigger social media platforms like Facebook, Reddit, or even Discord. Finding other foreigners and, in particular, expats from your home country massively alleviates feelings of homesickness and sticking out, giving you a sense of belonging in your new country. To go one step further, you could even make friends with locals in advance!

Curating a Positive Social Media Experience

A large part of having a positive experience with social media is buy managing the people you follow. Social Medias are predicated on algorithms that push particular content partly according to what they think you’ll enjoy. But, it’s incredibly easy for social medias to start pushing content gradually that is completely different from what you wanted to consume. It’s therefore a necessary job to be constantly thinking: is this someone I want to follow? Is this the type of content I want to read? Some people will love reading about politics all the time while others just want to watch cute cat videos - it’s completely up to you!

If you feel stressed or envious about particular accounts, we’d advise unfollowing - and possibly blocking. Look to create a balanced feed, and try your best to include local content. After all, it could always help you with learning the language - or coming out with funny references for others who do!

Sharing Your Own Expat Journey

If you’re a particular social media aficionado, you might decide to start your own Emily-in-Paris journey and share your own expat journey! This is a lovely way to keep your family and friends from around the world updated with what you’re doing, and many people find a really fun hobby in creating the content for that. Some people focus on travel vlogs about their new country, some on explaining the local country/culture to other foreigners, and some make fun skits about cultural differences. There’s no wrong way to share this, and it can be a fun way to interact with locals too! Our only advice would be to not expect a big audience - do it for the love of the hobby.

Setting Healthy Boundaries with Social Media

Of course, many people struggle with letting Social Media control their life. If you start to worry that you’re on social media incessantly, we have a few tips to try and regain control.

To begin with, many smartphones have time limit settings that you can make use of - either to stop you using social media past a certain time or after a specific amount of time on the app. You can add to this with your own boundaries, such as forbidding yourself to use social media when in public. In addition, there are multiple practical strategies, such as scheduled breaks, monitoring your app usage (which is often recorded somewhere in your phone’s settings), or digital detoxes.

The important thing is you enjoy the benefits of social media without feeling drained or disconnected from real life. If you’re still worried after this, we’d recommend visiting a mental health professional, who’ll be able to point you to a specialist.

Social media can be a powerful tool to enhance your life as an expat if you use it wisely. It helps you stay connected with family and friends, find support from other expats, and share your own experiences. By being mindful of what you follow and setting healthy boundaries, you can make social media a positive part of your routine. Remember to balance your online time with real-life interactions and take breaks when needed. With the right approach, social media can help you feel more connected, supported, and inspired while living abroad.