In this series of posts, I’m discussing how teachings from early Buddhist scriptures can help us break free from our addiction to social media. These teachings can be found in the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, which outlines five strategies for overcoming our compelling urges. Today, we’ll examine the second strategy: understanding the drawbacks of having a mind that’s out of control.
One striking description in the discourse highlights the negative impacts of unskillful thoughts, saying these thoughts are harmful and lead to suffering. To illustrate, it likens the disgust one would feel if the corpse of a snake, dog, or human were hung around the neck of a young, adornment-loving person. This vivid imagery helps us grasp the unwholesomeness of our addictions.
Applying this to social media is straightforward. We need to recognize the cons of our addiction to platforms like Facebook and Twitter, which are designed to hook us by exploiting our brain’s reward system. They make us constantly return for more updates, leading to impaired decision-making, akin to the effects of addiction to substances like cocaine or heroin, as shown in a 2019 study by researchers from Michigan State University and Monash University.
Nearly everyone is hooked, with the average person spending about four hours a day on their phone. Social media contributes to feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness, and fosters a false sense of inadequacy by presenting an overly positive portrayal of others’ lives. Research indicates that more social media usage leads to lower happiness and life satisfaction.
Beyond personal impacts, social media can be used for societal manipulation, such as influencing political decisions through carefully designed propaganda. For instance, Facebook discovered a Russian agency had created a mindfulness page to influence US elections.
For me, the biggest drawback was the time wasted on social media. I could easily spend an hour or more every morning reading news and Twitter, time that I could have spent on more productive activities like walking or meditating. Social media has an opportunity cost.
Other disadvantages include staying up late staring at screens, reduced productivity from constant interruptions, neglecting loved ones, engaging in online conflicts, and losing our ability to focus. This is likely familiar to many of us.
The core issue with addiction is that, despite its negative impacts, it falsely promises happiness. This is a concept discussed by the Buddha in teachings on cognitive distortions, or vipallasas, which include seeing impermanent things as permanent, unattractive things as attractive, and things that aren’t intrinsic to our identity as part of our self. We mistakenly believe that social media, online games, and news will make us happy, driven by FOMO—the Fear of Missing Out.
When I considered quitting Facebook, I feared losing contact with relatives, missing significant events, and not staying current with news. However, the less I used social media, the more content and productive I became. I spent more time meditating and reading, which brought me joy and focus.
Cutting ties with social media turned out to be joyful and liberating. Instead of FOMO, I experienced JOMO—the Joy of Missing Out. Through the second tool from the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, we can examine these drawbacks and understand our social media cravings with greater skepticism. We can see thoughts like “This will make you happy” for what they are—false promises leading to unhappiness.
Reflecting on the Buddha’s image of a person adorned but burdened with a corpse helps us see social media addiction as something gross and unwholesome. But it also reminds us of what’s good in our lives. We need to balance recognizing our addictions with nurturing wholesome activities that bring peace and joy.
Ironically, solely focusing on the drawbacks of addiction might make us seek escape in social media even more. Thus, it’s essential to also engage in positive activities like being present, meditating, meaningful work, and simple pleasures.
As I disengaged from social media, I rediscovered the joys of a good book, classical music, and walks. I urge you to make two lists: the drawbacks of your addictive behaviors and the wholesome activities you enjoy. When tempted by social media, remember these lists. Cultivate a sense of “disgust” for addictive behavior while simultaneously fostering an attraction to activities that genuinely bring you happiness and peace.
These reflections help us see our addictive behavior as gross and out of place in our lives. They bring clarity about who we are and how we want to live, ultimately helping us become freer, happier, and more in control of our minds.