In a series of posts, I’m explaining how teachings from early Buddhist scriptures can help us break free from our addiction to social media. These insights come from the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, an ancient text outlining five strategies for overcoming persistent urges.
This week, we’re diving into the second strategy, which involves examining the downsides of having a mind that’s out of control. One vivid and impactful image describes this vividly. Imagine a young, well-adorned person with a corpse of a snake, dog, or human hung around their neck—they’d be horrified and disgusted. This image is used to illustrate our reaction to unskillful thoughts, prompting us to give them up.
Applying this to social media, we need to recognize its disadvantages and how it seizes our attention. Social media platforms are designed to be addictive, hooking into our brains’ reward systems, making us come back for more. They create endless streams of content, autoplay videos, and show us real-time interactions to keep us engaged.
Evidence shows the negative effects of social media. A study by Michigan State University and Monash University found that heavy Facebook users have impaired decision-making skills, similar to those addicted to drugs. Nearly everyone is hooked, with the average person spending four hours a day on their phone. Such addiction leads to anxiety, depression, and loneliness while fostering false comparisons that make us feel inadequate. Furthermore, social media has become a tool for propaganda and manipulation, influencing our political decisions without our awareness.
Personally, the biggest drawback was the time I wasted on social media. It prevented me from more meaningful activities like walking, meditating, or working. Social media has an opportunity cost, affecting productivity, disrupting sleep, and straining our relationships.
Addiction to social media offers false promises of happiness. The Buddha’s teaching on vipallasa (cognitive distortions) explains how we mistakenly believe that impermanent, unattractive elements will bring joy. We think social media will make us happy, but it often causes more harm than good. This misconception leads to FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), making us fear losing connections and updates.
Surprisingly, reducing social media use can increase contentment and productivity. The less I used social media, the more focused, productive, and mindful I became. This shift from FOMO to JOMO (Joy of Missing Out) was liberating. Examining the downsides of social media helps us challenge addictive tendencies, recognizing they’re false promises of happiness.
Reflecting on the Buddha’s image of a corpse hanging around one’s neck, we can see social media addiction as something gross and unwholesome. Acknowledging what’s good and wholesome in our lives helps highlight the unskillfulness of our addictions. While reflecting on the drawbacks, we should also engage in more fulfilling activities like being present, meditating, connecting with others, and enjoying simple pleasures.
As I disengaged from social media, I rediscovered the joys of reading, listening to music, and taking walks. Embracing simplicity and presence has been deeply fulfilling.
I suggest you make a list of the drawbacks of social media and the benefits of more wholesome activities. When you catch yourself falling into addictive behaviors, remind yourself of these lists. Cultivate a sense of “disgust” for addiction while fostering an attraction to activities that bring genuine happiness and peace.
We’ve learned that by recognizing our addictive behaviors and their negative impacts, we can gain a clearer sense of who we are and how we want to live. This awareness helps us break free from addictions, leading to greater happiness and control over our minds.
Consider practical steps to reduce social media use, such as logging off regularly, moving social media icons to secondary screens, incorporating healthier habits, and scheduling breaks from social media. These practices can help you regain focus and find more meaningful ways to spend your time.