Where were you when things went black with Facebook and Instagram last Monday? I bet you remember, don’t you? And why is that? Because those several hours felt like an eternity. Because we aren’t used to not being glued to our devices scrolling through people’s lives. I include myself in this category too. I had a hard time with not being able to surf social media and read and make posts. But what I realized is how addicted I am to these platforms. To social media, in general. And I was embarrassed and ashamed of how dependent I was on them. I was like going out of my mind like “What am I going to do?” not acknowledging the fact that there WAS plenty to do. It’s interesting how things change so much from when you were younger. Talking on the phone or hanging out with friends was my favorite pastime and now social media seems to consume so much of my life. It made me think about how much all our lives have changed since social media came along. How addicted we are to it was made evident by the shutdown that happened on Monday. This made me think how social media has created a “new kind of addict.”
I’m sure you have seen the Netflix show on this and how social media creators use algorithms to intentionally keep social media followers coming back. However, we can’t say ALL social media is bad or that we are not partly to blame for our addiction. Social media has its benefits; it has helped small businesses grow exponentially, helped us build connections with others we otherwise would never know, and introduced us to new interests (mine right now is thrifting). However, there are some dangers to social media like (internet pedophiles), social media induced depression because of seeing people’s highlight reels and feels badly about your own life, and isolation from not spending enough time off social media. However, given the good, bad, and the ugly, social media serves a purpose. I just say to be careful when you feel it is starting to consume your entire life.
There are plenty of apps that can actually help moderate how much time you spend on social media. Holding yourself accountable for time we spend on social media is a start. That awareness can make you reel it in and find other things to do with your time. I have tried listening to audiobooks more or getting into a good tv series or movie. I have also tried to spend more time with my family and our dog and intentionally do things to distract myself from being on social media. You would think I am in recovery, right? Like how did we get to this point where we must do things to distract ourselves from social media so that we don’t relapse? Lol! Despite this, taking social media breaks or putting yourself on a social media diet is healthy and necessary.
Since we are talking about addiction, I have a new book on addiction coming out in a month. It is called Dad Got Out of Rehab and it will discuss the topic of what it is like to have a parent in recovery from opioid abuse for ages 9-12. Pre-sales will begin on this book this month. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to get our latest offerings. You can sign up through our website.
Please feel free to leave a comment on this blog and your opinion on social media and its undue influence on you. I welcome other’s opinions, even those different from my own. I look forward to hearing what you have to say on this popular topic.
Love and light,
Kira
