I.12.2021 - Social Media: The Addiction
Before the 2020 year-end holidays, I decided to take a break from Social Media. I mean, it was as much of a break as I could manage. Practically, when you run a successful business, social media is pretty essential these days. 
Statistica notes that there were 25.35 million social media users in Canada last year. That represents 67% of our total population, and it will be 80% by 2025 — only five years. It’s not like you can completely ignore your professional social media platforms.
Luckily, I have a stellar Media Specialist, Daniella. She is competent and confident in taking the reins from me to keep the dials turning on the various channels. She and I discussed my plan to temporarily “unplug,” and I was hoping that it would be relatively easy to do because of her support. Wrong. I deleted the primary app from my phone (Facebook) to eliminate temptation. BTW, Facebook is the leading social media platform in Canada. I didn’t realize that my thumb would be pulled unconsciously to the app’s original location several times throughout the day — a deeply ingrained habit. When I caught myself doing it the first time, I laughed. The second time that it happened, it wasn’t so funny. Was I addicted to Facebook? After a few days of watching my wandering thumbs, I figured that it might be a possibility. I did some sleuthing and discovered that it is indeed a “thing.”
A study from Nottingham Trent University states that “Anecdotal case study evidence suggests that ‘addiction’ to social networks on the Internet may be a potential mental health problem for some users.” The article goes on to state: “…attraction is one of the four key components that may predispose individuals to become addicted to specific behaviours or substances rather than specific others.” This made sense to me because, as the days passed without obsessively checking my social media accounts, I felt more relaxed. It was like a bad hangover starting to wear off (some people tell me). I was more focused and less anxious. I realized the direct impact that social media was having on my mental health. Other studies indicate that when we receive notifications for likes or comments on a photo, this triggers the same endorphins caused by gambling and recreational drugs.
In 2019, Kelly McSweeney published the article: This is Your Brain on Instagram: Effects of Social Media on the Brain. McSweeney performed a deep dive into the root cause behind increasing time spent on social media and the impact it has on our mental health. McSweeney stated: “Spending too much time on social media isn’t just a bad habit; it can have real consequences. Science shows that we are carrying around little dopamine stimulators in our pockets, so it’s not surprising that we’re constantly distracted by our phones.” He continued to say, “…social media makes us bad at multitasking and causes phantom vibration syndrome, which is when you feel like your phone is buzzing even though it’s not.”
Over the holidays, I throttled back on constantly rechecking my Instagram and Facebook. One evening, phone in pocket, I decided to go upstairs to fold and put away the mountain of laundry that had been piling up. Before I knew it, 30 minutes passed, and the baskets of laundry had not moved. I didn’t remember grabbing my phone when I caught myself standing motionless between the real world and my “personalized” virtual world.
I do not doubt that my addiction to social media affects my focus, productivity, and happiness. I have decided to pause, step back, and consciously monitor my engagement with my virtual world. Sometimes, I think about how much time I have wasted on social media because I’m unclear about the tangible benefits that I have reaped from the time invested. I have realized that scrolling, liking, commenting, and, above all, craving information about people I don’t even know in real life is a bad habit that I must break. Sometimes, I feel like a ‘housewife’ from the 1950s at the grocery checkout reading the gossipy tabloids reporting Marilyn Monroe and James Dean’s exciting lives. No, I don’t need to live my life vicariously.
My goal for 2021 is to focus on my family and real friends to continue to create my memories. I don’t need my pictures or comments to go virtual to feel fulfilled. And I don’t need Facebook to remind me about what happened in my life three years ago. My version of reality has always been and will be so much better because I am committed to be “present” in 2021 and beyond.
