In today’s world of internet connectivity, it's only normal that social media usage will surge. There are about 4.48 billion social media users in this world. That’s more than half the entire population of the world. But the proliferation of social media brings a new set of problems. Nowadays the young generation is suffering from the tendency of increased impulsiveness to scroll through social media. In this article, we will take a deep dive into social media addiction and how to get rid of it.
What is social media addiction?
Have you ever gone to bed and impulsively reached for your phone? Spent hours scrolling through different social media and messing up your sleep schedule in the process? If it’s a yes, then chances are you’re suffering from a case of social media addiction. You’re not alone, however.
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In 2017, a survey found that there are about 210 million people with social media addiction. This was from a time when the world didn’t have to grapple with the pandemic. In its wake, the pandemic has left most of the office, education, and other works to an online platform, making people increasingly prone to becoming addicted to social media and online platforms.
It might not feel much like it at first but it’s part of human behavioral addictions. At one point, you will get so into scrolling through newsfeeds and posts and pictures that it will eventually end up hampering other parts of your life.
So, is there a way out of this? Well, there are a lot of ways to go about social media detoxification. We’ll talk about some of the most effective ways to get your life back to normalcy.
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How to Get Rid of Social Media Addiction
Turn the notification off
The first you can do to get out of the cycle is to turn the notification off. You cannot even start the process of detachment if your phone lights up with a notification every other hour. The tendency to check who twitted or shared a post will eventually start a domino effect where you end up spending more time than you should.
Some people count “like” and interactions in their posts. If you have that tendency, we suggest you stay away from your phone for a few hours after posting anything. Do not let the urge to check interactions get to you. Turning off the notification will minimize the distraction and make way for a gradual transition from the addiction.
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Do not go to sleep with your phone
More than 45% of social media users said that they go to sleep while scrolling their phones. This is a very bad practice with some serious side effects. You not only deprive your brain of the rest, but the blue light from the phone messes with the eyes and hampers your sleep schedule.
The only way to get around this problem is to stop taking the phone to bed. Considering the addictive nature or simply something that became a habit, not taking the phone to bed isn’t something that’s going to be easy.
You can keep the phone on the other side of your bedroom or somewhere that’s out of your reach when you’re in bed. It’ll take some time getting used to. But once you do, you will be able to gradually cut off the impulsive need to browse the phone.
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Say no to social media while in bed
Similar to going to bed with a phone, some too many people instinctively reach for their phone once they wake up. This is also a bad habit and compulsive behavior. The extreme dependency on social media content means you are inadvertently getting dragged into the platform without your knowledge.
Try to not use your phone until after you’ve completed your morning routine. Too much social media content in the morning will only make you distracted throughout the day.
Avoid overthinking social media appearance
This is probably the most common problem when it comes to social media platforms. You are not alone if you spend too much time thinking about what to post and how to post. Most social media users have this urge to look better and sound better in social media to get better validation. In reality, you’re using up precious time from your daily life overthinking about social media. This is a form of passive addiction to social media.
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The stress and anxiety related to this validation might be too much to handle. Some people might even fall into depression because of this stress. As a social media user, the last thing you should worry about is what people think about what you post. The process of destressing starts from detachment from social media appearance.
Find replacement
Think of a time when neither digital devices nor social media existed. The earliest example of a digital handheld device dates back to the 90s and that of social media dates back to the 2000s. So, what about the people before that time? Didn’t they have a fulfilling life? They probably had a better life considering the analog options they had.
This is also something that you need to do. Rather than getting engrossed with social media, try and find your hobbies again. There are effective and productive alternatives to social media like reading books or gardening. The more you indulge in analog hobbies, the more you’ll be able to detach yourself from social media.
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Digital detox
The best solution is to stay away from social media completely. Once you’ve learned to take the small steps, it's time you focused to take considerable time offs from all types of social media platforms. The entire process is known as a digital detox.
It won’t happen overnight. You will have the urge to get back at the start. But the more time you spend away from social media, the more life becomes productive and stress-free. You can gradually minimize your usage to a healthy level, or you can cut it off completely, the choice is yours.
Bottom Line
Overcoming social media addictions is easier said than done. Just like other behavioral addictions, you’ll have to take small steps to get away from them completely. While it might be seemingly easy, you’ll still have to follow through with each of the steps for successful detoxification. We hope this article helps you to divest yourself of the addiction.