Facebook and Instagram Introduce New Time Management Tools

Claudia Witczak
Sep 2, 2018 · 2 min read

All too often, users find themselves passively scrolling through Facebook and Instagram for hours on end. Spending an excessive amount time on social media has become severely common in today’s day and age. However, Facebook and Instagram are aware of this issue. The applications have just introduced a new time-tracking feature intended to give users more control over the amount of time they spend on the two platforms.

The feature is designed as an “activity dashboard.” This dashboard will include daily reminders, notification limits, and a time-tracker. The time tracker will display how long the user has been active on the applications. The dashboard will also give users the opportunity to control their time spent on the apps by setting time limits on usage. After the amount of time is up, the app will send a notification to the user.

The real question is, why would Facebook and Instagram care whether or not users spend too much time on the applications? It was revealed that the applications prefer that users engage in a healthy way, not just passively scrolling, in order to have the most positive and beneficial experience possible. Instagram and Facebook are paying close attention to recent studies which have shown negative health effects associated with excessive social media use.

“We developed these tools based on collaboration and inspiration from leading mental health experts and organizations, academics, our own extensive research and feedback from our community” Facebook and Instagram released in a statement.

This new feature is a step in the right direction for social media overall. This feature is not portraying that social media is a malicious tool that should be used sparingly, but rather an extremely beneficial tool that should be used with purpose. Facebook and Instagram encourage creativity, productivity, communication and inspiration amongst users. By implementing the dashboard, these apps will be viewed less as a simple way to pass the time and more of an inspiring, meaningful tool. This shows that the applications are genuinely concerned about each user’s wellbeing and are willing to do whatever it takes to provide a positive experience. I find that Facebook and Instagram’s innovative move to improve the wellbeing of all users will be inspirational to all businesses by encouraging them to develop more meaningful social media marketing to go beyond “passive scrolling.”

For more information and updates regarding the time management dashboard visit: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jessedamiani/2018/08/01/facebook-and-instagram-just-introduced-a-time-tracking-feature/

Claudia Witczak

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Naples, FL • Public Relations Student at the University of Florida • Hockey Enthusiast