In a series of six posts, I use teachings from early Buddhist scriptures to explain how we can break free from our addiction to social media. These teachings are found in the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, which outlines five strategies for overcoming powerful thoughts and urges.
While “Vitakkasanthana Sutta” means “the Discourse on Quieting Thinking,” I refer to it as “the Social Media Sutra” for simplicity and relevance to our lives today.
Let’s talk about the fifth and final strategy: sheer willpower. According to the Buddha, when all other methods fail, you need to use sheer willpower to overcome those intrusive thoughts and urges. This might sound harsh, akin to a strong man suppressing a weaker one. And yes, sometimes we do need to be strict with ourselves. However, this approach should only be used as a last resort.
I’ve found willpower useful, especially when surfing the internet late at night and feeling a sudden disgust with my compulsive behavior, leading me to abruptly shut my laptop. However, it’s not really about willpower; it’s a spontaneous reaction. There are more effective ways to tackle these urges.
One effective approach is to make decisions when you’re not in the grip of craving. For instance, delete social media apps from your phone. This makes accessing those platforms harder. You could also use parental safety settings to block social media sites or browser plugins to limit your time on them. For a more drastic measure, consider deleting your social media accounts entirely.
I did this with my Instagram account because I was unsatisfied with the attention I was getting and didn’t like feeling that way. I also deleted my Facebook account because the platform often led to unproductive arguments and privacy concerns. Research shows that quitting social media can make us happier, yet addiction and our minds’ lies keep us hooked.
After deleting Facebook and Instagram, I still had Twitter, which became a time-consuming problem filled with outrage and distraction. The final method that helped me quit Twitter involves creating barriers to access. By changing my password to something I can’t remember and locking myself out, I avoided the platform for months, freeing up significant time and improving my well-being.
In summary, through this series, we’ve explored five tools from the Vitakkasanthana Sutta to help free our minds from obsessive thoughts and urges. By applying these strategies, we can live with greater mindfulness, compassion, and joy.
Thank you for following along in this series on overcoming social media addiction through Dharma teachings. I hope it has been as enlightening for you as it has been for me. Let’s continue making progress together.