SOCIAL media was a much calmer place again after City’s welcome return to winning ways.

From the hysteria of Hartlepool to the serenity of Swindon, Twitter and Facebook witnessed the full gamut of emotions in the space of four days.

The contrast in reaction from the lows of last Tuesday night to the highs of an impressive second away win of the season over the weekend highlight just why it is such a dangerous landscape to pay too much attention to.

Equally, the comments section beneath the Telegraph & Argus live blogs for both games showed a difference of more than 100 in favour of the home defeat.

Best to treat with caution or steer clear, especially for younger, more impressionable players.

Elliot Watt recently revealed that he has reduced the amount of time he spends scrolling through social media.

Some of that is enforced with the arrival of a young son but he is also aware of how the demons can get in your head reading too much over-the-top negativity.

Skipper Niall Canavan is one of the rare breed of footballer who steers clear of Twitter and the like.

But he can understand the overwhelming temptation for others to become immersed – and how difficult it can become.

“It’s part of life, especially for the young lads,” he said. “It’s how they grow up now.

“They don’t grow up talking to people, they grow up messaging and all the rest of it.

“Elliot is saying he’s cut down on his social media but he’s still on TikTok and all sorts.

“But if he’s made that choice, good on him because it’s not always positive on there.”

Any players on the coach back from Swindon would have seen only glowing comments about themselves and the performance as they killed the time on the motorway.

But Canavan stressed that is not always the case and it can have a negative effect that stays with you.

“Everyone likes to put out a positive picture but those are the only bits you see. It’s the ones you actually read that can sting and hurt.

“Use it as a tool if you want to, that’s up to you. But if it’s causing you real grief then turn it off.

“You don’t need it. None of those people who follow you really know you.

“You’re not going to see them. You don’t know who any of them are, so what difference does it make?

“Everyone as a young player really did read everything.

“You’ll read the paper and check on this and that because that’s the things your friends and family can see.

“If they don’t know much about football or they weren’t there, how do they gauge how you played? They read what mark you got in the paper or see the comments on social media.

“You know yourself if you’ve played well or not but those are often the indicators that some other people will look for.

“It’s usually a thing you learn with experience so that it doesn’t impact how you are going to train this week or how you’ll play next Saturday.

“As soon as that starts to happen, you’re in a bit of trouble.”

Canavan is not completely out of the social media loop – but his only App is to keep in contact with family. He has no interest in seeing what the rest of the “Twittersphere” think or get up to.

“I just thought it was nonsense really,” he said. “You don’t know all these people and do you want them to see the real nitty-gritty of your life?

“At the end of the day, it would be boring if you showed them everything you got up to.

“I had one of them so that my Nan could use that rather than the phone. She can text me and things like that.

“It’s practical to keep in touch with a few friends but I’m not a massive poster.”

The Bantams captain, who made a successful comeback from his hamstring injury at the County Ground, accepts he is in the minority not to spend his spare time permanently online.

“I know a couple of other players but there aren’t many. Most people have at least one but usually it’s just to pass the time.

“Watty will spend hours on TikTok. I know people just scroll on it and do whatever but it’s not for me.

“The manager probably never looked on it. He probably thinks what’s it going to do for him apart from waste his time.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say you have to treat it with caution but just understand what it is.

“Before you go on it, you need to understand what it’s being used for.

"You can use social media for good but a lot of the time you have to think if there's a positive or is it just hiding and masking something?”