Inventions like social media were made to make people’s lives better and more convenient, so they can have more control over the limited amount of time they have every day. But is social media actually improving people’s lives? Or have people become slaves to their own creation?
Social media can be a good thing, of course, but too much of a good thing can absolutely be harmful, according to makeuseof.com.
The power of dopamine
It all depends on the chemical dopamine. Contrary to popular belief, dopamine has nothing to do with pleasure. Rather, the dopamine system has more to do with anticipation and motivation. Dopamine makes you feel like you want something and shifts you into a reward-seeking mindset. This mindset compels you to act. When you act to satiate that desire, the brain releases endorphins, which are pleasurable and rewarding.
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Why is a social media detox necessary?
Say you are addicted to social media. So what? It isn’t harming anyone. You’re still getting good grades in school or completing all your work at the office. You’re taking care of yourself.
All things considered, it’s one of the safest addictions you could have. But what about the quality of your life? Social media addiction could be harming you in ways you can’t quite see on the surface.
Social media is a false reality. People selectively post what they want others to see. And this allows everyone to flaunt their good sides while hiding their bad ones. Nobody’s profile truly reflects who they are as a person — it’s all filtered and sterilised. Unfortunately, we tend to forget this. And we can fall into despair when we can’t seem to keep up with the supposed lives of our friends and followers, even to the point of depression.
Social media encourages narcissism. One of the biggest rewards in social media is when you make a post and somebody likes it. On Twitter and Tumblr, it’s retweets and reblogs. It’s all about your own satisfaction and gratification, and as you chase more and more likes, you can get swallowed up in yourself.
Social media promotes echo chambers. The nature of social media means you can follow those who are like you and ignore those who aren’t. This is the very definition of an echo chamber: everyone just parrots the same ideas back at one another. If you aren’t aware of this effect, social media can turn you into a close-minded person.
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Social media is a privacy risk. You’d be surprised how much somebody can find out about you simply through your social media history. In the most extreme of cases, malicious users can make your life a living hell in many ways, including doxing, stalking, hacking, and more.
Social media sucks up time. A visit to Instagram can turn into two hours of mindless browsing. Checking Facebook or Twitter may only take a few minutes, but if you check several times an hour, that can add up to a lot of wasted time. What if you spent that time on something else, like a creative hobby, hiking a trail, or personal growth?
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A social media detox can get you away from all of these negatives. Despite the involvement of dopamine, social media addiction is a psychological addiction. Note that a detox doesn’t have to be permanent, it just has to be long enough to rewire your brain and break you out of the endless dopamine cycle. You can always come back later.
Here are the simple steps to a true social media detox:
- Deactivate your accounts.
- Uninstall all social media apps.
- Block all social media sites.
- Replace social media with another activity.
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