Social Media Is Not the Enemy. The Way You Use It Is.
Some tips for mindful scrolling.
There is an era before and after social media. That’s how much they have impacted our lives. Societal norms have now been reconstructed in order to embody the use of social media as their main tool for basically everything; from basic interactions, to promoting ideas, to establishing trends.
Remember the times when you made a date with someone and you just trusted that they’d be at the time and the place where you arranged? And if something happened, you just got stood up? No “On my way” text. No confirmation at all.
Remember the times when socializing meant you actually had to get out of your house and meet with people? If you wanted to learn about someone’s life, you had to talk to them. Now you just flip through people’s lives, like a magazine.
Of course, nobody goes out of their way to post about their low moments in life, so social media are filled with people at their best. So you’re left scrolling, glancing at other people’s beautiful, meaningful, interesting lives, while yours is just plain mediocre. As a result, you’re left envious of others, disappointed at yourself, feeling you can never reach that level of awesomeness that you witness at the tip of your fingers.
Thankfully, I was born on the early 90’s, so I got to experience the full curve of technology. I lived an internet-free childhood and I am so glad that I got to play with other kids on the street. I got my first cellphone (a Nokia 3310) when I was thirteen and my first computer when I was fifteen. I remember chatting on MSN for at least 6 hours per day, when I was seventeen. That’s when I created my Facebook account, and even though I am not an avid poster, I was hooked.
Personally, in all of my social media accounts I am rather passive than active. I don’t post that much and I almost never comment on anything. I don’t need to check my phone all the time, but that doesn’t mean that social media haven’t affected my mental health, too. I have a background with depressive tendencies, so, in order for it to not spiral into a full-on depression state, I decided it was time to take some action.
And it’s time for you to take some action, too. Your time and your attention are your most treasured belongings. The things that you choose to devote your time and your attention ultimately shape your mentality and your perspective. So take a step back to mindfully re-evaluate those things.
So, what to do? Delete all your digital footprint and go back to a flip-phone? No, nothing that drastic. Technology is not your enemy, as long as you use it in a way that gives you true value. You can try using these tips, in order to make social media your ally, towards a better self.
Track your screen time.
Go to your settings and check how much time you spend on average, per day on your social media apps. It will be a good wake-up call on which apps you should consider deleting. Maybe it’s not that bad, for example you check and see that it’s less than an hour per day. Consider what would have happened if you spent that time doing something for your personal growth (i.e. exercising, learning a new skill, catching up with a loved one, meditating, journaling, going out). I’m fairly certain you can think other ways of spending that time, that could add true value to your life.
De-clutter your social media apps.
Yes, Minimalism! Or better yet, Essentialism. Take a moment to re-evaluate which social media apps you actually want to keep, and which ones have the sole purpose of distracting you.
Personally, I decided that Facebook was truly useless to me, so I deleted my account about three years ago. I haven’t missed it one bit. Deleting Messenger as well has definitely taken a toll to my social interactions. I am out of the loop, because almost all of my group chats are in Messenger. But all these notifications were seriously distracting me, and I came to the conclusion that 90% of the texts, especially in group chats, were pure jibber jabber.
Unfollow white noise.
After you’ve kept the apps that actually add value to you, it is time to take control of the content you want to see in your homepage. Ask yourself, “What kind of content actually interests me?” and unfollow every account that doesn’t offer you that.
After I deleted Facebook, I created an Instagram account. I was very cautious on who I wanted to follow, as I didn’t want to spiral into constant mindless scrolling. I was observing my close friends swiping through stories of partying, food pictures, unnecessary polls and giveaways. So I didn’t follow any accounts of people in my outer social circle, just because what my acquaintances are doing is of no use to me.
Now, it’s your turn to click that unfollow button to every account that turns your brain into mush. Focus into the areas that you want to keep learning about. For me, it was sustainability. So if anyone goes through my Instagram homepage, they’ll see tips and facts about sustainability and cute dog photos. And that’s why Instagram doesn’t leave me feeling inadequate!
Mute Notifications.
There is nothing more distracting (and annoying!) than a phone constantly buzzing with new notifications. They dictate when you’re going to check your phone. Go to your Settings and mute all notifications from your social media apps, so you choose when to log in, instead of your phone.
Try a social media detox.
You can try taking a break from social media altogether, for a certain amount of time that you will decide beforehand. Notice when you miss it the most, what you did instead and write it all down. When you get back on, notice which accounts you are glad that you’re catching up on. Those are the accounts that you should be following. Unfollow the rest.
Go back and do it all over again.
This is not something that you do once and it’s over. We constantly change, so the content we choose to follow, should constantly change alongside with us. Something you fixate on now, could become totally irrelevant to you in a matter of months. So don’t forget to check with yourself, to always keep what’s essential to you.
We went from having to look things up, to an unhindered world of information way too quickly. For the sake of our minds, we need to take control of that information by filtering it and actually letting it be of use to us.
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