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Social media is a vital part of our lives. It is a channel for interaction, providing users with functions such as texting and video calling; it opens up a facet of our lives, offering us to post our day-to-day happenings and keep our peers updated about our wellbeing; it deepens our understanding of the world around us, allowing instant access to objective and subjective information.
Social media may pose as an all-around convenience to us, which in the “convenience” sense is true but to an “all-around” extent not true at all. To give you some quick facts and add some context, internet users use social media for two hours and 22 minutes on average per day. That may be an overwhelming fact to some of you, but for many, it is only an understatement.
What can using too much social media lead to? Sleep specialists says it can lead to reduced quality and duration of sleep, psychologists says depression, anxiety, narcissism, and even neuroticism, physiologists says sedentariness, dietitians says irregular eating patterns, philosophers might say limited self-perceptions and ignorance of the meaning of life, parents would definitely say its overuse is the poison of youth, and from our fellow teenagers? A fifth says it poses as a social threat, nearly half feels indifferent, and the rest thinks it is conducive to social wellbeing.
So… is social media overuse good or not? We have the facts and the opinions, the majority in both the objective and the subjective indicates negativity.
Then how do we cope with social media overdose? Here are five tips recommended by scholars and journalists all over social media (Suffice to say, they are probably not addicted to social media).
1. Turn Off Your Notifications!
Sometimes, “forgetting” or ignoring social media by one simple switch of no more vibrations or ding-dongs is the most direct and uncomplicated method to set yourself free of the grasp of the internet.
In fact, research done by neurologists has found the hidden issues with the red dots on your screen, waiting for you to clear it. It was found that pressing and removing these vibrant and attention-grabbing spots release a certain amount of dopamine in the human brain, and through this satisfying sensation of “getting updates and information from your friends” you simply end up in a cycle of seeking more information with more little red dots.
So the most straightforward way to block these bloodsucking and mind-overwhelming lice is to turn off your notification!
2. Set Limits For Yourself
Many devices and applications have screen time or time limits to using it, so utilizing these features can act either as a definite barrier (If you are self-organized and steadfast with your screen time), or a reminder to stop using the app (for some, arousing a sense of guilt for not following the schedule as planned and continuing the wastage of time).
Another limit you could give yourself is tech-free zones, or “phone-free” zones, if you do work digitally. These free zones are much better than giving yourself an excuse to keep your phone in sight but only “turned off.” Research shows that seeing a device providing satisfaction (in this case social media), regardless of touching it or using it can create distraction, because only knowing that there will be possibilities of dopamine-release with one single tap will turn the brain into multitasking, either through fantasizing or simply blockading certain rational thoughts related to work.
This method poses uncertainty to whether or not one can actually follow their own screen time plans or free zone schedules, because of how much self-control it takes to not “skip today for application limitations” or get up for a drink of water and think “why not spend some downtime with my phone?”
If you want to use this strategy but are unconfident about your self-restraint abilities, a good way to keep yourself in check is to let a family member or friend monitor your screen time and app usage.
3. Find Other Activities to Participate In
If you are looking for something else to occupy yourself with other than social media, you can always ask your friends out to grab lunch or catch a movie together, replacing digital socialization with physical socialization. You could also do other activities which inspire you such as painting, writing, running, meditating on a yoga mat, or… heck, if calculating physics formulas is your thing, go for it! (maybe you could even check out some other Beacon articles!)
4. Phones Off Bedside
Your sleep routine is constantly being interrupted when your phone is beside you, because of the extra cognitive and sensual load even when your mind is supposed to be at rest!
When you are anticipating text messages before you sleep, and putting your phone at a reachable place, your mind will still be partially activated and not receive sufficient sleep. The constant beeps of the notification and the blue light radiating off of your phone are always unconsciously worsening your sleep quality, overloading and damaging your sensual organs.
5. The Radical- Detoxication
Detoxication refers to not using social media at all for a period of time, but not entirely abandoning social media. It is setting a schedule for the time to use social media, preferably as short as possible, and strictly following that routine.
Millions of people have tried digital detox, for most, it did not work, and for some lucky individuals, it worked. Unlike finding a four-leaf clover, which is entirely based on luck (apologies to those who are looking for four-leaf clovers with “practical strategies”), digital detox even for regular social media users requires the willpower of extracting the Excalibur, and that is only a mild hyperbole. The difficulty is analogous to alcoholics and booze, for a social media addict to detox in the most disciplined way is like adding Prometheus’ chains to the sword.
Closing
Ultimately, the four former tips given are leading up to and simultaneously a part of digital detox, which will, at last, establish full liberation.
Whether or not you use the tips advised previously, or decide to strategize with your own approach, the one and only word you need to keep in your mind is “willpower.”
Those who unbounded themselves from the manacles of social media found that their capabilities are endless, not limited by photoshops or filters, they found that socializing was more than liking and posting, they found that life was more than tapping and scrolling.
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