In late 2019, I recorded a series of talks for “Tricycle” magazine about how Buddhist tools can help us overcome social media and internet addiction. Although the talks were only released online in January of the following year, I took the opportunity to turn my notes into a series of articles. There are six articles in total—this introduction, plus one for each of the five tools I’ll discuss.
After giving the talks, I realized there were many things I could have said, so I’ve expanded on those ideas here. Below are the links to Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.
I must admit, I’ve had my own struggles with social media addiction. Because of the nature of my work, I spend a lot of time online, and I found myself getting sucked into social media. Like most people, I carry a device around with me that serves as a portal to endless distraction. Often, I would spend too much time online, which affected my work and caused me to stay up late, unable to stop reading fascinating articles about science and psychology. Despite my love for reading books, I found it increasingly difficult to focus on them, which made life feel more superficial.
Sometimes, I’d even get involved in online disputes, which would leave me feeling anxious and angry. I often found myself craving attention, logging in constantly to see if my posts were liked or shared. All these behaviors led to suffering, and I realized I needed to find a way to manage my online activities better through my Buddhist practice.
I want to share some tools I found helpful, in case you face similar struggles. By the time I wrote these articles, I had mostly overcome my addictions, though I still occasionally spent too much time on Twitter, which impacted my mental state. However, by continuing to practice these techniques, I managed to disengage from Twitter as well.
When I talk about social media addiction, I don’t just mean enjoying it; I mean compulsive use despite harmful consequences. Compulsion makes us feel out of control, unable to stop, and often leads to shame. I’m using “social media” broadly, including those addicted to online games or constantly checking news updates.
The Buddha didn’t discuss the internet or social media, but he did talk extensively about overcoming compelling thoughts and behaviors. One particular discourse, the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, or “Discourse on Quieting Thinking,” offers a wealth of tools for letting go of unhelpful urges and habits. While many interpret this discourse in the context of meditation, its principles apply to all areas of life, including social media.
The discourse provides five tools to tackle these issues. It suggests starting with the first tool and moving to the next if it doesn’t work. Each tool comes with an illustration to help understand it better. These tools can help overcome addictive behaviors and the accompanying emotions like anger and anxiety. I’ll go through each tool in turn, explaining what the Buddha said and offering practical applications.
That’s it for today. I hope you enjoy this series of posts.
Reflect on your social media use. Notice any patterns of addiction and the suffering they cause. Can you experiment with giving up social media, even just for a day or two? If you find it hard, observe what stops you. When you do manage to give it up for a short period, what do you feel—joy, relief, craving, or anxiety?
You can approach this by setting a limited amount of time for social media use and gradually reducing it. Although it requires willpower, this simple strategy can significantly reduce your social media usage.
[…] Bodhipaksa has published a series of six posts on mindful and self-compassionate tools for overcoming social media addiction. Mindful tools for overcoming social media addiction. […]
Applying ancient texts to modern problems shows how relevant the Dhamma still is today, just as it was more than two millennia ago. Thank you, Bodhipaksa.