In late 2019, I recorded a series of talks for “Tricycle” magazine about using Buddhist teachings to combat social media and internet addiction. The talks went online in January the following year, but in the meantime, I decided to turn my notes into a series of articles. There are six articles in total, including this introduction and one article for each of the five tools I discussed.
I’ve added some more details to what I said in those talks because I often realize later that there was more I could have shared. Here are links to the five parts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.
I used to be quite addicted to social media. Since my teaching requires a lot of online presence, I found myself constantly drawn into social media. Like most people, I carry a device that I rarely use for phone calls but offers endless distractions.
Due to my constant online activity, I often spent too much time on the internet, affecting my work and sleep. I’d stay up late reading fascinating articles, usually about science and psychology, even though it deprived me of sleep. I loved reading books, but my ability to focus on them diminished, making life feel more superficial.
Sometimes, engaging in online disputes caused me anxiety and anger, as I’d anxiously check social media to see the responses to my posts. This craving for attention and approval turned into a form of suffering.
Not liking this suffering, I wondered how my Buddhist practice could help me overcome my online addictions. I intend to share some tools that have helped me, which might also help you if you find yourself in similar situations.
By the time I wrote these articles, I had mostly overcome my social media addiction, though I occasionally spent too much time on Twitter, which affected my mental state. However, continuing to practice these techniques helped me disengage from Twitter as well.
When I refer to social media addiction, I’m talking about the compulsive use of social media despite its harmful consequences. It’s a behavior we feel out of control about, making it extremely difficult to stop. This often leads to shame, and we might become dishonest about our level of addiction.
I use “social media” broadly, encompassing not just sites like Facebook or Twitter but also online games or incessant news checking.
Although the Buddha didn’t discuss the internet or social media, he spoke extensively about overcoming compulsive thought and behavior patterns. The Vitakkasanthana Sutta, which translates to the “Discourse on Quieting Thinking,” offers valuable tools for this purpose. In Buddhist terms, “thinking” includes not just inner dialogue but also the urges that drive us to actions like picking up our phones without a conscious thought.
The discourse is fundamentally about letting go of unhelpful urges or habits. While most people interpret the Vitakkasanthana Sutta as being about meditation, its principles can apply to any part of our lives, including social media use. In this sense, you might think of it as the “Social Media Sutra.”
The discourse presents five tools, suggesting you start with the first and move to the next if the previous one doesn’t work.
These tools offer a comprehensive approach to overcoming addictive behaviors, along with the anger and anxiety they cause. I’ll go through each tool, explaining what the Buddha said and making them practical for overcoming these addictions.
Try to observe your patterns of social media use. Notice the suffering it causes and how your compulsion manifests. Experiment with giving up social media for a day or two, and pay attention to how it feels. Do you feel joy, relief, craving, or anxiety?
It’s essential to set specific limits and reduce your social media usage gradually. While it takes significant willpower, this approach can effectively decrease your time spent on social media.
Bodhipaksa has shared a series of six posts on mindful and self-compassionate tools for overcoming social media addiction. Applying these ancient texts to modern problems demonstrates how relevant the Dhamma remains today.
This approach and the techniques discussed offer practical steps to combat our modern-day struggle with social media, reflecting the timeless nature of Buddhist teachings.