In a series of six posts, I’ve delved into teachings from early Buddhist scriptures to help us break free from our addiction to social media. These teachings originate from the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, which outlines five strategies for combating persistent thoughts and urges. I’ve dubbed it “the Social Media Sutra” for its practical application to our lives today.
Now onto the fifth tool, which might surprise you: sheer willpower. By clenching your teeth and pressing your tongue against the roof of your mouth, you should forcefully confront and suppress those disruptive thoughts. While this method sounds intense and somewhat aggressive, it serves as a last resort when other strategies fail.
I’ve personally found this useful late at night when I’m mindlessly browsing the internet. Despite the content being interesting, it was costing me sleep. A sudden jolt of disgust with my behavior would make me shut my laptop forcefully, a reaction that wasn’t due to willpower but rather a spontaneous response.
There are more effective ways to curb these urges, which involve preemptively using willpower when you’re not caught up in the craving. For instance, deleting social media apps from your phone or using parental safety settings to block access can significantly reduce the temptation.
Going further, browser plugins can limit the time spent on social media, or you can delete your accounts altogether. I did this with my Instagram and Facebook accounts because I found them unsatisfying and sometimes even distressing. Research shows quitting social media can make us happier, yet many can’t because of addiction and our minds convincing us that we need it.
I still had a Twitter account, which, although less time-consuming, still affected my well-being due to its often outrage-fueled content. This led me to the final “willpower” trick that kept me away from Twitter and made me happier. By locking myself out of my account (without deleting it), I created a barrier that made re-entry difficult enough to keep me away for months.
In conclusion, we’ve explored five tools from the Vitakkasanthana Sutta to free ourselves from obsessive thinking and compulsive urges related to social media. Thank you for joining me in this series on using the Dharma to overcome social media addiction. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to share this practice together and look forward to continuing our journey towards mindfulness, compassion, and joy.