How Reading Books Can Break the Social Media Addiction
Tech Industry’s Loss, Our Gain
A few years ago, I quit my English class and decided to go solo. I read plenty of novels, but I also needed to enhance my speaking skill. During my research on language learning methods, I discovered that many people recommended chatting as an effective way to improve, so I decided to give it a try.
That’s when I decided to join a few Telegram chat groups.
From There, It All Went South
If I had known what would happen to me and my life, I would never have taken those suggestions. I got sucked into endless addiction, I couldn’t pull myself out. I was glued to my phone, chatting every minute of the day.
That awful period lasted for months, and it was a terrible experience. My eyesight got worse, everyone around me was frustrated with my behavior, and the worst part was neglecting my child. I know this is happening to many new moms who can’t put their phones down. I know because I’ve been there.
It Drove Me Crazy
Despite our differences in thinking and perception, one thing we can all agree on: phones are nerve-wracking. The internet and social media take the crown for inducing this nerve-wracking experience. For me, it became unbearable.
Not every conversation ended pleasantly, and disagreements and debates often left me feeling exposed and vulnerable. All of this amounted to a crushing feeling of anxiety. That’s when I decided to quit and delete those groups. A turning point came when a guy in one of those chats suggested reading books to learn the language instead. It turned out to be one of the best pieces of advice I’ve received in my life so far.
Books Instead of Social Media
You can’t simply quit an addiction; you have to replace it with another. Let’s face it, putting down that damn thing and staring at the ceiling is tough. Even though boredom can spark creativity (as I explore in another article), we can not endure it. So, despite being fed up with repetitive, valueless content optimized for addiction rather than creativity, you’re likely to return to your phone.
The other night, my husband was glued to Instagram and asked if I wanted him to do something. I hesitated, and then he admitted he was just trying to break away from the repetitive and meaningless yet addictive videos.
He can’t break away from Instagram for one simple reason: he doesn’t have a better habit. When I find myself on Instagram searching for posts related to my passions, like writing or books, I set clear intentions. If I feel like I’m spending more time than planned, I quickly move on. For instance, I might go there to find a quote I saved before to use for my writing, but as soon as I notice I’m getting sucked in, I remind myself I have more worthwhile ways to spend my time — like reading a book.
Only God knows what skills, products, or masterpieces we could have learned or created if our time, attention, energy, and nerves weren’t wasted like this. You could even argue that the stagnation we see in nearly every industry, including content creation, is due to excessive indulgence in social media platforms. Whether using them or overinvesting in them.
We wanted flying cars, instead we got 140 characters.
_ Peter Thiel
But Why Books?
Because books make you smarter every day, saving you from costly blunders. They offer insights that can prevent you from losing a fortune.
Not everyone has to turn to books to replace a harmful habit. It could be anything like learning a new language or any other skill. For me, though, replacing this bad habit with reading books has been effective, and I’m quite content.
At first, I wrote the precise why in my draft, but when it got longer and longer, I decided it might be better to cover it in another article. Read it here.
