In a series of blog posts, I explain how teachings from early Buddhist scriptures can help us overcome addiction to social media. One key scripture, the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, outlines five strategies for dealing with compelling urges. This week, we’ll focus on the second strategy, which involves understanding the drawbacks of having a mind that’s out of control.
This teaching uses a vivid and powerful image. It suggests that we should consider the negative aspects of our obsessive thoughts: “These thoughts are unskillful, blameworthy, and they lead to suffering.” When we recognize this, those harmful thoughts can be abandoned. Imagine a young, attractive person who loves to decorate themselves. If someone hung a snake’s or dog’s or human’s corpse around their neck, they’d be horrified and disgusted. This shocking image is meant to highlight the repulsion we should feel towards unwholesome addictions.
Applying this to social media is straightforward. We need to identify the disadvantages of social media and our addiction to it. These platforms, like Facebook and Twitter, are designed to be addictive. They exploit our brain’s reward systems to keep us coming back for more. They also create endless content cycles, autoplay videos, and show notifications to keep us engaged and craving more interaction.
Evidence shows the harmful effects of social media are significant. A 2019 study by Michigan State University and Monash University found that heavy Facebook users have impaired decision-making skills similar to those addicted to cocaine or heroin. On average, people now spend four hours a day on their phones. Social media not only increases anxiety and depression but also fosters feelings of loneliness. It tricks us into believing we’re worse off compared to others, who typically share an overly positive view of their lives online. Research shows a direct correlation between time spent on social media and a decline in happiness and life satisfaction.
Additionally, social media has become a tool for manipulation and propaganda, influencing political decisions without us even realizing it. For example, Facebook discovered that a Russian agency had created a page on mindfulness, aiming to sway U.S. elections.
Personally, the most significant drawback was the time wasted on social media. I could easily spend an hour every morning on news stories and Twitter, time that could be better spent walking, meditating, or working.
Other disadvantages include staying up too late staring at screens, reduced productivity due to constant interruptions, neglecting loved ones, engaging in online conflicts, and losing the ability to focus. This is all too familiar for many of us.
Addictions, despite their negative impacts, often promise happiness. The Buddha described such false promises as cognitive distortions, or vipallasa. These distortions make us believe that impermanent things are permanent, unattractive things are attractive, and that our happiness depends on these things.
One common cognitive distortion is the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). I worried that deleting my social media accounts would disconnect me from relatives and significant news. But, in reality, reducing my social media use increased my contentment, productivity, and ability to focus on meaningful activities like meditating and reading.
Using the second tool from the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, we can undermine our social media addiction by examining its drawbacks. This helps us to view our craving for social media with skepticism and recognize the false promises it holds.
Returning to the Buddha’s vivid imagery: imagine you’re dressed up nicely for an event, and someone hangs a stinking corpse around your neck. It’s a jarring image meant to show how revolting our addictions should appear. It’s crucial also to recognize and cherish the wholesome aspects of our lives.
Focusing only on the drawbacks might make us feel bad, potentially leading us to spend more time online to escape these feelings. Therefore, alongside recognizing the harmful aspects of online addiction, we should also focus on positive, fulfilling activities—being present with ourselves and others, meditating, engaging in meaningful work, and enjoying simple pleasures.
Personally, stepping back from social media has allowed me to rediscover the joys of reading, listening to classical music, and taking walks. I suggest making two lists: one of the negative impacts of social media and another of the positive, wholesome activities you can replace it with. Reflect on these lists whenever you feel the pull of social media.
By doing this, you can develop a sense of disgust towards online addiction and cultivate a preference for activities that genuinely bring happiness, peace, and meaning to your life. These reflections can make your addictive behavior seem out of place and help you break free, leading to greater happiness and control over your mind.