If you have a smartphone, you’ve probably felt it before: the nagging feeling to check social media for likes, retweets, and new followers. But that compulsivity can be damaging to you, your relationships with friends and family, and how you interact with society.
On the other hand, social media can help us keep in touch with those we wouldn’t have time to communicate with regularly, learn about current events, and create a network of common interests. So, where do our online lives take a turn for the worse? What separates the connectedness that social media can facilitate with the disconnectedness it can also perpetuate?
From Facebook with Love
It’s not just social media naysayers who have expressed concern as to the long-term effects of being plugged in. In an interview with Axios, even former Facebook president, Sean Parker, voiced his anxieties about the platform. His concerns stemmed from the serpentine question developers were about to answer and which ultimately led to the platform’s staggering success: "How do we consume as much of your time and conscious attention as possible?"
The answer was simple…make it addictive. Parker continues:
"That means that we needed to sort of give you a little dopamine hit every once in a while because someone liked or commented on a photo or a post...It's a social validation feedback loop...We exploit[ed] a vulnerability in human psychology...[The inventors] understood this, consciously, and we did it anyway."
That “dopamine hit” Parker references is important as it capitalizes on our natural brain chemistry. In fact, this organic chemical is what drives our daily behavior, regulates our mood, impacts our memory, and causes us to form habits and addictions. Henceforth, the social validation with which social media provides us causes our brains to release more dopamine. As a result, we begin to associated well-liked content with our survival.
Facebook’s former vice president, Chamath Palihapitiya, also voiced concerns about social media, saying in an interview with Stanford Graduate School of Business, “Consumer internet businesses are about exploiting psychology…we want to figure out how to physiologically manipulate you as fast as possible then give you back that dopamine hit.” Palihapitiya continued by saying:
“It’s at a point now where we’ve created tools that are ripping apart the social fabric of how society works, that is truly where we are. I would encourage all of you to—as the future leaders of the world— really internalize how important this is. People need to [take a] hard break from some of these tools… The short term dopamine-driven feedback loop that we have created is destroying how society works.
So what is The Upside of Social Media?
Despite all the doom and gloom presented by Parker and Palihapitiya, there are some benefits of using social media. First off, social media allows us to stay in the loop with friends and family with whom we wouldn’t otherwise stay in contact. In fact, Global Web Index found that 42% of people use it to stay in touch with what their friends are doing.
But platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have also fostered a sense of belonging for people who traditionally thought of themselves as introverts. In fact, 34% of social-media users use it for general networking and 27% use it to meet new people.
One of the top three reasons people have cited as grounds for using social media is to stay up to date with news and current events. In fact, a surprising 39% of users are on social media to keep up with what’s happening in the world. But herein lies another problem: many people are simply consuming content and ignoring their actual interests.
Case in point: a staggering 34% of people use social media just to fill up spare time. When one takes into account the fact that Facebook has just soared past two billion active users, it’s disconcerting to consider just how many hours are being wasted cumulatively.
So How Can We Be Mindful of Our Social Media Consumption?
Just as we should watch our diet, exercise regularly, and practice mindfulness, we also need to be conscious of our social media intake. Parker and Palihapitiya were right in warning that social media has tapped into a part of our human psychology, and it happens to be the part heavily responsible for addiction.
In 2012, researchers conducted a study on social media addiction using a tool known as the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale. Their findings suggested significant correlations between Facebook addiction and traits like neuroticism and extraversion and negatively correlated with conscientiousness.
Similarly, a study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan found that increased Facebook use was associated with lower rates of life satisfaction. Likewise, the Department of Sociology at the University of Copenhagen found that “quitting Facebook” led to significantly higher rates of life satisfaction and positive emotions.
Then, of course, there is “phubbing.” Phubbing is the action of ignoring or snubbing one’s companion or company in favor of using a mobile device. This bad habit has been known to drastically reduce marital satisfaction, contribute to depression, and lead to lower feelings of closeness. In fact, one study by the University of Chicago found that the urge to check social media is stronger than the urge for sex.
Being Mindful of Your Social Time
There are several strategies that will help you wean off social media, or at the very least reduce your time being plugged in. First and foremost, kickstart your day by focusing on yourself, not your phone. Get a good night’s sleep, exercise and/or mediate, and then eat a good breakfast before checking emails, social media updates, and texts.
Next up, when you’re on a break at work, try to unplug. Even digital marketing and tech start-ups are starting to realize they need to unplug in order to boost productivity. Take a walk before or after lunch, focus on something other than work or social media, and communicate with coworkers within your vicinity.
Finally, remove social media from your bedtime ritual. Read a book, listen to music, talk with your significant other, or just think about the day. The Harvard Medical School actually found that blue light from smartphones or other electronic devices has twice the power to suppress melatonin as that of other lights of equal brightness. This means falling asleep is not only going to be more difficult, but the quality will likely be poorer.
Ultimately, while there are some amazing aspects of social media, we all need to take that “hard break” from our mobile devices. Remember, a short reprieve will help you improve your in-person relationships, boost your productivity, and elevate your overall life satisfaction.