In late 2019, I recorded a series of talks for “Tricycle” magazine discussing how tools from the Buddhist tradition can help overcome social media and internet addiction. These talks went live in January of the following year, but in the meantime, I decided to turn my notes into a series of six articles—this introduction and one article for each of the five tools.
I’ve expanded a bit on what I shared in those talks because, naturally, after speaking, you realize there’s more you could have said!
I identify as a former social media addict. My teaching requires me to spend a significant amount of time online, which led to my struggle with social media. Like most people, I carry a device, commonly called a “phone,” though I seldom use it for calls. Instead, it’s a portal to endless distraction.
Because I spent so much time online and had constant access through my device, I often found myself wasting hours on the internet. This impacted my work and caused me to stay up late reading intriguing articles, usually about science and psychology. Despite the quality of what I was reading, I couldn’t stop, leading to sleep deprivation and a decreased attention span for reading books, which I’ve always loved. Without the deep dive into books, life felt shallower.
There were additional issues, like getting into online disputes that led to anger and anxiety. I’d often feel my heart race when logging into social media, worrying about whether my posts were liked or shared. All these are forms of suffering.
I dislike suffering, so I naturally wondered, “How can my Buddhist practice help with my addiction to online activities?”
I’ll share some tools that have helped me, hoping they’ll help if you have similar issues.
At the time I wrote these articles, I had mostly overcome my addictions, though I still sometimes spent too much time on Twitter, which affected my mental state. I’m happy to say that continued practice of the techniques I’ll discuss helped me disengage from Twitter as well.
So, what do I mean by social media addiction? It’s not just about enjoying social media; it’s about compulsively using it despite knowing it has harmful consequences. Compulsion means we feel out of control and find it difficult to stop. This often leads to shame and dishonesty about our level of addiction.
I use “social media” broadly, not just referring to sites like Facebook or Twitter, but also online games and compulsively checking the news.
While the Buddha never spoke about the internet or social media, he taught a lot about dealing with and overcoming compelling patterns of thought and behavior. One particular discourse, the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, or the “Discourse on Quieting Thinking,” provides a good overview of the tools he offered.
In Buddhist terms, “thinking” includes the urges tied to our thoughts. Sometimes we act on an urge without any verbal thought, like picking up a phone to open a social media app. These urges are also considered thoughts.
This discourse is fundamentally about letting go of unhelpful urges or habits. Although many people think the Vitakkasanthana Sutta only applies to meditation, the principles can be used in any part of life, including social media use. You could even call it the Social Media Sutra.
The discourse provides five tools. You’re advised to start with the first one, and if it doesn’t work, try the next.
The five approaches offer a robust set of tools for overcoming addictive behaviors and the associated emotions like anger and anxiety. I’ll explore each tool, explaining the Buddha’s teachings and how to apply them practically.
That’s all for now. I hope you’ll enjoy this series of blog posts.
Notice any addictive behavior patterns around your social media use. What kind of suffering does it bring? How does your compulsion show up? Can you experiment with giving up social media, even for a day or two? If not, what’s stopping you? If you do give it up temporarily, what do you experience—joy, relief, craving, anxiety?
Consider treating social media use as a time-limited activity and gradually reduce that time. Applying this simple but challenging approach can significantly cut down your usage.
Bodhipaksa has published a series of six posts on mindful and self-compassionate tools to overcome social media addiction. This is an excellent application of ancient texts to modern problems, showing the relevance of the Dhamma today as it was millennia ago. Thank you, Bodhipaksa.