In late 2019, I recorded some talks for “Tricycle” magazine about how Buddhism can help tackle social media and internet addiction. These talks weren’t available online until January the following year, so I thought it would be helpful to turn my notes into a series of articles. There are six articles in total – this introduction and one article for each of the five tools.
In these articles, I’ve expanded on what I discussed in the talks. It’s funny how you realize what you forgot to say only after the talk is over! So, here are links to Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.
I admit it: I used to be a social media addict. Because of my work, I spend a lot of time online, and I found myself getting drawn into social media. Like most people, I carry around a device we call a “phone,” which is really just a glass portal to endless distractions.
Since I was always online and had easy access to this device, I often ended up spending way too much time on the internet. This affected my work and sometimes made me stay up too late, reading various interesting articles, mainly on science and psychology. While the content was good, I struggled to stop and would deprive myself of sleep. Even though I’ve always loved reading books, I found it hard to stay focused on them, which made life feel shallower.
There were also other problems, like getting into online disputes that made me anxious and angry. My heart would race whenever I logged into social media, and I found myself craving attention, logging in frequently to see if my posts were liked or shared. These behaviors brought suffering.
Naturally, I wondered how my Buddhist practice could help me overcome this online addiction. So, I’m sharing some tools that have worked for me, in case you face similar challenges.
By the time I wrote these articles, I had mostly overcome my addiction, although I still struggled with spending too much time on Twitter, which negatively impacted my mental state. But with continued practice of the techniques I’ll discuss, I managed to detach myself from Twitter as well.
When I talk about social media addiction, I don’t just mean enjoying social media. I mean using it compulsively despite knowing it has harmful effects. This means feeling out of control and struggling to stop, and sometimes feeling ashamed of this behavior.
I use the term “social media” broadly. It applies not only to sites like Facebook or Twitter but also to online games or compulsively checking the news.
The Buddha didn’t talk about the internet or social media, but he did teach about overcoming compulsive thoughts and behaviors. One particular discourse, the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, or the “Discourse on Quieting Thinking,” offers a good overview of these teachings.
“Vitakka” means “thinking,” and “santhana” means “stopping” or “cessation.” Here, “thinking” includes the urges tied to those thoughts. Sometimes, you might act on an urge without any verbal thought, like picking up your phone to check social media.
This discourse is fundamentally about letting go of unhelpful urges and habits. Many people think the Vitakkasanthana Sutta only applies to meditation, but its principles can be used in any part of our lives, including social media use. You might even think of it as the Social Media Sutra.
The discourse provides five tools, suggesting you start with the first one and move to the next if it doesn’t work. These tools help overcome addictive behaviors and their associated anxiety, anger, and other negative emotions. In future posts, I’ll explain these tools and how to use them practically.
That’s all for now. I hope you’ll find this series of blog posts helpful.
Click here to read about the first tool, Pivoting Toward the Skillful.
Take some time to notice any addictive patterns in your social media use. What suffering do they cause? How does your compulsion manifest? Could you try giving up social media for a day or two? If not, observe what holds you back. If you do manage to take a break, how do you feel? Do you experience joy, relief, craving, or anxiety?
Treat this as a limited experiment and gradually reduce your social media usage over time. While it requires willpower, this simple approach can help reduce your dependence on social media.