In a series of posts, I explore how teachings from early Buddhist scriptures can help us break free from social media addiction. One such teaching is found in the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, an ancient text that outlines five strategies to overcome habitual urges.
This week, we’re focusing on the second strategy, which involves examining the negative aspects of having an uncontrollable mind. The idea here is to recognize thoughts that are unskillful, blameworthy, and lead to suffering. By doing so, these negative thoughts are gradually given up and cease to influence us.
To apply this strategy to social media, we must understand the disadvantages it brings and how these platforms are designed to be addictive. Social media companies have meticulously engineered these platforms to tap into our brain’s reward systems, making us continually check for new likes, comments, and updates.
Research shows the negative impacts of social media are significant, not just for extreme addicts but for nearly all users. A 2019 study revealed that people who heavily use Facebook experience impaired decision-making skills similar to those addicted to drugs like cocaine or heroin. On average, people spend four hours daily on their phones, which contributes to anxiety, depression, loneliness, and a distorted perception of others’ lives.
Social media’s ability to make us feel bad about ourselves drives us to spend even more time online, compounding the problem. The platforms are also used for social engineering, often influencing political decisions without our awareness.
Personally, I found that wasting time on social media had a huge opportunity cost. Instead of spending hours browsing news and tweets, I could have been walking, meditating, or working. This starkly highlights the drawbacks of social media.
We often don’t realize how social media affects our productivity, screen time, attention to loved ones, and our ability to engage in focused, meaningful activities. Recognizing these downsides helps us break free from the addiction.
Our addiction to social media falsely promises happiness. The term FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) embodies this—our fear that disconnecting will make us miss vital information or social connections. But in reality, limiting social media use can increase well-being, productivity, and enjoyment of simple, meaningful activities.
Using the second tool from the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, examining the drawbacks of our social media use helps us see it for what it is: a false promise of happiness. Recognizing the negative impact helps us regard these urges with skepticism and clarity.
The Buddha provided a powerful image to explain this kind of addiction: it’s like a person adorned in their finest clothes but with the stinking corpse of an animal draped around their neck. This graphic imagery helps us see the grossness of our addiction and how it contrasts with the more wholesome aspects of our lives.
In addition to recognizing the negative, it’s essential to honor what is good: being present, meditating, focusing on meaningful work, and enjoying simple pleasures. Reflecting on these wholesome activities can help counteract the lure of social media.
As I reduced my social media use, I rediscovered the joys of reading, listening to classical music, and walking. Immersing myself in these activities felt liberating.
Try listing the drawbacks of social media and the benefits of more wholesome activities. Whenever the urge to engage in social media arises, recall these lists. This approach helps create a sense of “disgust” toward addictive behaviors while fostering an attraction to activities that truly add value to our lives.
These reflections ultimately help us redefine who we are and how we want to live, reducing the hold of addiction and increasing our happiness and control over our minds.