In a series of six posts, I explain how we can break free from our addiction to social media using teachings from early Buddhist scriptures. These teachings are found in the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, which outlines five strategies for overcoming compelling trains of thought and the accompanying urges. I’m calling it “the Social Media Sutra” because it’s catchy and reminds us that these teachings are relevant to our lives today.
Now, let’s talk about the fifth and final tool, which might surprise you: sheer willpower. This strategy involves using intense mental effort to overcome bad thoughts, akin to a strong person overpowering a weaker one. While this method sounds harsh, sometimes we need to be firm with ourselves. However, it’s clear that willpower should be a last resort, used only when other methods fail.
I’ve found this helpful on occasion. For instance, when I catch myself surfing the internet late at night, I’ll suddenly feel a strong sense of disgust and forcefully close my laptop. This isn’t purely willpower; it’s more of an emotional reaction that ends my compulsive behavior. But there are better, less forceful ways to manage urges.
For example, you can delete social media apps from your phone, which makes accessing these platforms more challenging. You could also use your phone’s parental controls to block access to certain websites or install browser plugins that limit your time on social media. An even more drastic step is to delete your social media accounts altogether, which takes significant willpower but can be very effective.
I did this with my Instagram and Facebook accounts. I found Instagram made me crave validation, and Facebook was a mix of unpleasant interactions and privacy concerns. Despite the benefits of quitting, addiction and our mind’s lies often prevent us from making that choice.
At one point, Twitter was my only remaining social media platform. However, Twitter’s tendency to amplify outrage and its time-consuming nature also became problematic for me. I eventually used a “willpower” trick to quit: I logged out, changed my password to a random string I couldn’t remember, and locked myself out of my account. This made it difficult to access, and I haven’t used Twitter for months.
To sum up, we’ve explored five tools from the Vitakkasanthana Sutta to help free our minds from obsessive thinking and compulsive urges. Thank you for joining me in this journey to overcome social media addiction using the Dharma. I hope we all continue to make progress in living with mindfulness, compassion, and joy.