In a series of six posts, I explain how we can free ourselves 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 persistent thoughts and urges. I’ll refer to it as the “Social Media Sutra” because it’s easier to remember and directly applies to an important aspect of our modern lives.
Now for the fifth and final tool, which might surprise you: sheer willpower. The Buddha advises, as a last resort, to use forceful mental effort to suppress unwanted thoughts. This might seem harsh, but sometimes we need to be strict with ourselves to break free.
I’ve found forceful willpower useful on occasion, like when I’m browsing the internet late at night, depriving myself of sleep. Suddenly, a wave of disgust can make me snap my laptop shut, overpowering my craving. However, relying on willpower alone is not always effective.
Fortunately, there are better, sneakier ways to curb your urges. You can use willpower when you’re not actively caught up in craving by making decisions that limit your ability to indulge. For example, deleting social media apps from your phone makes it harder to access them. You can also use your phone’s parental safety settings to block social media sites entirely or use browser plugins to limit the time spent on these sites. Going further, you can delete your social media accounts altogether, which is a very effective but challenging use of willpower.
I deleted my Instagram account because I found myself craving validation through likes and comments. I also got rid of my Facebook account because it didn’t bring me joy and often led to arguments. Plus, there are privacy issues and political propaganda associated with Facebook. Research shows that quitting social media makes us happier, but addiction and the lies our minds tell us prevent many from taking this step.
Next, I struggled with Twitter. It became a time-consuming source of outrage and negativity, sapping my well-being. However, I found a final trick that helped me quit Twitter. This trick, inspired by the third tool of reducing temptation, involves creating barriers to accessing your account without deleting it. For instance, locking yourself out of your account by changing the password to a random string you can’t memorize.
You can, in theory, get back into your account using the “forgot password” link, but the extra barrier is usually enough to keep you out. This method worked for me and has kept me away from Twitter for months.
In summary, we have explored the five tools from the Vitakkasanthana Sutta to help free our minds from obsessive thinking and compulsive urges. Thank you for joining me in this series on using Dharma to overcome social media addiction. I deeply enjoy exploring and sharing the Dharma, and I’m grateful for this opportunity. May we all continue to progress in overcoming obstacles that hold us back from living with mindfulness, compassion, and joy.