Introduction
At twelve, Emma Lembke signed up for Instagram. As the final member of her friend group to register, she noticed that friends were drawn to the app because they stared at their phones instead of her.
The now 21-year-old founder of the app Lembke says, “I thought to myself, ‘There has to be something incredibly magnetic, magical, and connective that pulls people into these apps.'” Leg of Movement is a nonprofit organization that promotes kids’ healthy social media use.
She claims that after spending five or six hours a day browsing aimlessly, her mental health and general well-being declined. Lembke remembers measuring her value by monitoring her followers, likes, and comments—and removing any posts that didn’t perform well enough. She claims, “It felt like I was addicted.” “I automatically reached for my phone as soon as I heard the buzz of a notification, like a Pavlovian reaction. At last, I questioned, “What am I doing?”
A lot of us become lost on social media. some data indicate that the average adult spends more than 2.5 hours a day on social media apps worldwide. A toll may result from all that scrolling: Overuse of social media is linked with diminished life satisfaction, low self-esteem, depression symptoms, and loneliness.
The newsletter’s author and psychologist, Jacqueline Nesi, notes that “a lot of the time we’re not even aware of how we’re using it, so taking the time to be a little more mindful and to think about what’s working, and what’s not, is important.” Tecno spines
To reset your relationship with social media, we spoke with experts. These are their default tactics.
Craft a mission statement
Lembke refers back to her “tech intentions” list, which outlines how she will and won’t use apps like Instagram and Snapchat when she feels overpowered by social media. It says, “I use social media to scrapbook my life, learn new things daily, connect with others, and express myself creatively.”
“I don’t use social media to replace in-person interactions,” Lembke suggests writing your goal statement and taping it on your desk or any place you might be tempted to reach for your phone and start scrolling.
Start a digital consumption journal
Are you getting more energy from all those TikTok lip-synching videos, or are you feeling the opposite? Etoulia Salas-Burnett, the director of the Center for Digital Business at the Howard University School of Business, advises setting a challenge for yourself to record your social media usage, noting how much time you spend on each platform and how you feel afterward. Say, for instance, that you scrolled through LinkedIn for five minutes at eight in the morning. She says, “Did it make me feel a little less about myself, or did it make me feel good and happy for all my friends who are doing all these things?”
As Salas-Burnett points out, another option is to rank your emotions on a scale of 1 to 5. In just one week, With sufficient data, you’ll be able to evaluate which platforms you’re using for extended periods and how they’re impacting your mood. Then, you can adjust your behavior accordingly.
Set specific goals
Nesi argues that making a resolve to “use social media less” is too general to be useful. Instead, give yourself clear objectives or limits. Perhaps you have an hour or three 20-minute social media breaks each day. Next, create the necessary systems to enable that: Nesi suggests, “Put your phone in another room or put it on ‘do not disturb.'”
You can also be inventive in how you set usage limits. Salas-Burnett’s acquaintance, who enjoys sending her TikTok videos, recently decided to reestablish his connection with the app. He now limits his viewing to five films that are recommended to him on his “For You” page, plus an additional five videos from users he follows. She remarks, “I thought that was a cool idea.” “You only get to watch 10 pieces of content, but you’re not time-constrained.”
Curate your feed
Social networking isn’t always bad, says Dr. Nina Vasan, executive director and founder of Standford Brainstorm a university lab aiming to enhance mental well-being. According to her, those who are unsure of who they are or who are shy or socially nervous may find it especially useful. It also makes connections and communication easier.
Finding the stuff that makes you feel inadequate or depressed and the content that motivates you to perform at your best are the keys to creating a feed that represents the latter kind of content. She notes, “Social media doesn’t restrict the number of accounts you can follow or the number of things you say you like, unlike, let’s say, the space in your closet.”
“It’s simple to accumulate items that you no longer like or that don’t fit you well if there are no barriers of this kind in place.”
Go on an unfollowing spree
Are you getting updates from the reality star with the unachievable body, or about an ex? “Perhaps you’ve moved on from your obsession with infant pandas and are now onto quokkas Vasan argues, “You don’t need to keep seeing expensive clothes because prom is over.
“You have stopped endorsing that particular political candidate, or they have withdrawn from the contest.” Find accounts that are motivating, instructive, or associated with interests you want to pursue, and unfollow those that are no longer serving a purpose.
Make a list of scrolling substitutes
What would you be doing if you weren’t scrolling through social media posts? Jot down your favorite hobbies and “make sure they’re intellectually, emotionally, or physically feeding you,” advises Joseph Galasso, chief executive officer of Baker Street Behavioral Health in New Jersey and a clinical psychologist.
You may try reading a book, playing the guitar, going for a stroll, or doing some crafts. Checking Facebook when your fingers are occupied with embroidery is not an option.
Establish social media-free zones
Think about banning social media from particular rooms in your house, such as the kitchen table, bathroom, or bedroom. Make the whole family participate in this cooperative endeavor. Salas-Burnett explains, “That way, you can hold each other accountable.”
A social media “swear jar” where children must deposit $1 each time they are discovered using it inappropriately can be beneficial.
Take a tech sabbatical
Artist, filmmaker, and Webby Awards founder Tiffany Schlain began putting her phone away on Friday evening and waiting until the same hour on Saturday, 14 years ago. “I get to have this reset every week,” Shlain, the author of 24/6: giving up screen one day a week to get more time for creativity and connection I’ve never done anything better in my life than this. I feel so grounded because of it.
Similar to Shlain, many of us would benefit from honing “the courage to turn off the outside world and turn on the inside world,” which is a crucial ability. Try spending one day a week, a weekend, or a month offline to see how it feels. If it intrigues you. Shlain advises communicating with those who are expected to hear from you and, if at all feasible, scheduling in-person meetings.
For example, she starts her Friday evenings without using her phone by having dinner with her loved ones. Her phone feels so much more luxurious when it’s not tethered to her body, and she finds that her most creative ideas come to her when she’s not using it.