In late 2019, I gave a series of talks for “Tricycle” magazine on how Buddhist practices can help us overcome social media and internet addiction. These talks weren’t published online until the following January, so I decided to turn my notes into a series of six articles: an introduction and five articles detailing each tool.
As I gave those talks, I realized there were more points I could cover. So, I’ve expanded on the ideas for these articles. You can find the links to Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5 below.
I admit, I was once hooked on social media. My job requires me to spend a lot of time online, and I found myself getting pulled into the vortex of social media. Like most people, I carry a device that I seldom use for calls. Instead, it’s a gateway to endless distractions.
I often found myself spending excessive time online, which impacted my work and sleep. I’d stay up late reading interesting articles, especially on science and psychology. Despite the quality of what I was reading, it was hard to stop, leading to sleep deprivation. My ability to focus on reading books, a lifelong passion, diminished, making life feel shallower.
There were also times I got caught up in online disputes, which made me angry and anxious. Logging into social media stirred feelings of anxiety and a craving for attention. I constantly checked if my posts were liked or shared, all of which added to my suffering.
Naturally, I wondered how my Buddhist practice could help me manage online addiction. So, I’m sharing the tools I found helpful, hoping they might assist others with similar struggles.
By the time I wrote these articles, I had mostly overcome my addictions, though I occasionally struggled with spending too much time on Twitter, which negatively affected my mental state. Fortunately, by continuing to practice these techniques, I managed to disengage from Twitter too.
When I talk about social media addiction, I don’t mean merely enjoying using it. I mean the compulsive use of social media despite its negative impacts. Compulsion makes us feel out of control, unable to stop ourselves. It often leads to shame and dishonesty about our level of addiction.
I’ll use the term “social media” broadly. This includes not only sites like Facebook and Twitter but also online games and obsessive news checking.
The Buddha never spoke about the internet or social media, but he offered many insights on managing compulsive thoughts and behaviors. One particular discourse, the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, which I interpret as the “Discourse on Quieting Thinking,” offers valuable guidance.
The term “Vitakka” means thinking, and “Santhana” implies cessation. Here, thinking isn’t just inner dialogue but also includes urges that prompt us to act without verbalizing our thoughts. For instance, you might pick up your phone and open a social media app without any inner speech; this urge is a form of thought in Buddhism.
This discourse is essentially about letting go of unhelpful urges and habits. While many interpret the Vitakkasanthana Sutta as pertaining to meditation, its principles are applicable in everyday life, including our interactions with social media. You could think of it as the “Social Media Sutra.”
The discourse presents five tools to tackle these issues. It’s suggested to start with the first tool, and if it doesn’t work, move on to the next, and so on. Here’s an overview of these tools:
1. Pivoting Toward the Skillful: Shifting your focus to more positive activities.
2. Analyzing: Examining the drawbacks of your habits.
3. Ignorance Replacement: Cultivating positive thoughts to crowd out the negative ones.
4. Addressing Root Causes: Identifying and addressing the underlying issues.
5. Willingness to Change: Recognizing the need for and embracing change.
Each tool has its illustrative examples—some are immediate and practical, while others may be more abstract. These approaches collectively offer a robust set of strategies for overcoming addictive behaviors and the accompanying feelings of anger and anxiety. I’ll delve into each tool in upcoming posts, detailing what the Buddha said and how to practically apply these teachings.
For now, think about your social media use. What suffering does it cause? How does your compulsion manifest? Can you experiment with giving it up, even for a short while? If not, what holds you back? How do you feel if you do manage to take a break? Do you experience joy, relief, craving, or anxiety?
Try limiting your social media time as an experiment. It might take willpower, but it could reduce your usage significantly.
Stay tuned for detailed explorations of each tool in this series. I hope you find these upcoming posts helpful in understanding and managing social media addiction.