
I’m going to explain how we can free ourselves from social media addiction using teachings from early Buddhist scriptures found in the Vitakkasanthana Sutta. This ancient text outlines five strategies for overcoming compelling urges. Today, we’ll focus on the second strategy, which involves examining the drawbacks of having an out-of-control mind.
In the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, there’s a striking image used to describe this: Imagine a young person, fond of adornments, who has a corpse of a snake, dog, or human hung around their neck. They would be horrified and disgusted. This vivid metaphor helps us understand the negative impact of unwholesome thoughts and actions.
Now, let’s apply this to social media. We need to recognize the disadvantages of our addiction to these platforms. Social media is designed to be addictive, hooking into our brain’s reward circuits to keep us coming back for more. Features like endless streams, autoplaying videos, and notification alerts are intentionally created to hold our attention.
Research shows the negative effects of social media are significant. A study from Michigan State University and Monash University found that heavy Facebook users have impaired decision-making skills similar to those addicted to drugs. Nearly all of us are hooked, with the average person spending about four hours a day on their phone.
Social media can make us anxious, depressed, and lonely, as we compare our lives to others’ falsely upbeat portrayals. The more time we spend online, the less happy and satisfied we are. Additionally, bad actors use social media for propaganda and social engineering, subtly influencing our political decisions without us even realizing it.
Personally, the biggest drawback for me was the sheer amount of time wasted. Instead of spending hours on my phone, I could be walking, meditating, or working. Social media has an opportunity cost.
Other negative aspects include staying up too late on our devices, reduced productivity due to constant interruptions, ignoring loved ones, getting into online conflicts, and losing focus. This is probably familiar to you.
Addictions promise happiness but often lead to unhappiness. This concept is part of the Buddha’s teachings on cognitive distortions, known as vipallasa. We mistakenly believe that things causing unhappiness, like social media, will make us happy.
When I considered deleting my Facebook account, I feared losing contact with relatives and missing important events. However, I found that using social media less increased my contentment. I became more productive, spent more time meditating, and enjoyed reading books and other activities undistractedly. Cutting ties with social media was freeing, leading to what I call JOMO— the Joy of Missing Out.
By examining the drawbacks of social media, we can undermine our addiction. We start to see our desire to check our accounts as false promises. Realizing that social media makes us unhappy helps us focus on things that truly bring meaning and joy to our lives.
Returning to the Buddha’s image, social media addiction is like a rotting corpse around our necks. It’s essential to not only see the negative but also recognize and honor the wholesome aspects of our lives that bring peace and joy. Reflecting on the drawbacks of online addiction while turning our attention to more wholesome activities can help us escape the cycle of addiction.
As I disengaged from social media, I rediscovered the joys of reading, listening to classical music, and walking. Enjoying simple, present activities has been delightful.
Here’s what you can do:
1. Reflect on the drawbacks of social media.
2. Identify activities that bring you genuine happiness and peace.
When caught up in addictive behaviors, remind yourself of these lists. Create a sense of disgust for addictive behavior, and balance it with attraction to wholesome activities.
By understanding our addictive behavior as gross and realizing our potential for a more fulfilling life, we can take steps to break free from social media addiction and gain better control of our minds.