In various posts, I use the early Buddhist scriptures to explain how we can break free from our social media addiction. These teachings are found in the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, an ancient text outlining five strategies for overcoming compelling urges.
This week, we focus on the second strategy: examining the drawbacks of having an uncontrolled mind. I find this description particularly vivid and impactful. The discourse suggests we should analyze the negative aspects of such thoughts, recognizing them as unskillful, blameworthy, and resulting in suffering. This creates a powerful image of seeing unwholesome desires as disgusting, like carrying a corpse around your neck.
Applying this tool to social media is straightforward. We need to consider the disadvantages of social media and its addictive nature. These platforms have been designed to hook into our brain’s reward systems, keeping us glued to our screens to seek likes, shares, and comments. This endless loop keeps us engaged through notifications, autoplaying videos, and indicators showing someone is replying to our posts.
There’s substantial evidence on the negative impacts of social media. It’s not just about severe addictions ruining lives, though that happens too. A 2019 study by researchers at Michigan State University and Monash University found that heavy Facebook users have impaired decision-making skills, similar to those addicted to drugs like cocaine or heroin. Almost all of us are hooked; one study shows the average person spends four hours a day on their phone.
Social media makes us anxious and depressed, promotes feelings of loneliness, and tricks us into thinking we’re worse off than others because people often share only the highlights of their lives. The more time we spend on these platforms, the more our happiness and life satisfaction drop. They also serve as tools for social engineering, influencing our political decisions without us even realizing it.
For me, the biggest drawback was the sheer amount of time wasted on social media. I could easily spend an hour or more in the morning just browsing. This time could be better spent on activities like walking, meditating, or working, highlighting the opportunity cost of social media.
There are many other disadvantages: staying up too late staring at screens, reduced productivity, neglecting loved ones, getting into online conflicts, and diminished attention spans. All of this is likely quite familiar to you.
Addictions, despite their negative impact, promise happiness. The Buddha taught about cognitive distortions (vipallasas), where we mistakenly believe that impermanent things will last forever, unattractive things are attractive, and external things are part of our identity. In this context, the cognitive distortion is believing that social media, games, and news can make us happy, and that we’ll suffer if we give them up.
The fear of missing out (FOMO) often keeps us hooked. I initially worried I’d lose touch with relatives and miss important news. However, reducing my social media use actually increased my sense of well-being, productivity, and focus on more meaningful activities like meditation and reading.
Cutting ties with social media, or reducing usage, can be liberating and joyful. Instead of experiencing FOMO, we can feel the Joy of Missing Out (JOMO). This second tool from the Vitakkasanthana Sutta helps us see the drawbacks of our social media immersion, encouraging us to view our desires with skepticism. Thoughts like “This will make you happy” can be seen as false promises. In reality, these addictions make us unhappy, pulling us away from meaningful activities.
Consider the Buddha’s powerful imagery: having a rotting corpse draped around our necks while dressed in our finest clothes. This encourages us to recognize the unwholesomeness of our addictions and to see social media addiction as similarly gross and out of place in our lives. It’s important to also acknowledge the wholesome aspects of our lives, as this contrast highlights the negativity of our addictions.
Reflecting solely on social media’s drawbacks could make us feel bad about ourselves, potentially driving us back to it for escapism. Thus, we should also focus on wholesome activities like being present, meditating, meaningful work, and simple pleasures. Rediscovering joys like reading a good book or listening to music can provide genuine happiness.
I suggest you make two lists: one for the advantages and another for the disadvantages of social media. Refer to these lists when you find yourself engaged in addictive online behaviors. Develop a sense of “disgust” for these habits while fostering an attraction to wholesome activities that bring true happiness and peace.
In summary, these reflections help us see our addictive behaviors as unfit for the lives we want. They aid in recognizing and overcoming our addictions, leading to greater freedom, happiness, and control over our minds.