In a series of six posts, I explain, using teachings from early Buddhist scriptures, how we can free ourselves from our addiction to social media. These teachings are found in the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, which outlines five strategies for overcoming compelling trains of thought and the urges that accompany them.
Vitakkasanthana Sutta literally means “the Discourse on Quieting Thinking,” but I’m going to call it “the Social Media Sutra.” I do this because it’s a more convenient and catchy name, and it reminds us that these teachings can be directly applied to this important aspect of our lives.
Now, let’s talk about the fifth and final tool, which might surprise you. The last resort tool that the Buddha offers us is sheer willpower. The practitioner is advised to use determined effort to overcome bad thoughts. Though this sounds harsh and rather violent, it’s illustrated as a strong man grabbing a weaker man to subdue him. The Buddha’s teaching here might seem forceful, but sometimes we need to be strict with ourselves. Importantly, willpower is seen as a last resort, to be used only when other methods have failed.
I’ve found this willpower approach useful occasionally. Sometimes, late at night, I’ll find myself browsing the internet and depriving myself of sleep. Out of nowhere, I experience a sense of disgust with what I’m doing and almost slam my laptop shut. This surge of healthy distaste overpowers my craving, breaking its hold over me. However, this isn’t really willpower at work; it just happens naturally.
There are more effective and less direct ways to overcome urges. You can use willpower proactively when you’re not caught up in craving. Make decisions that limit the influence of your habits. For instance, deleting social media apps from your phone can be quite effective. You might still use the browser, but it’s clunkier. You can also block social media sites using parental controls or browser plugins that limit your time on these platforms.
For those who want to go further, you could delete your social media accounts altogether. While this takes a lot of willpower, it’s very effective. Few people can do this. I did it with my Instagram account because I disliked craving validation. I also deleted my Facebook account. Though it allowed me to keep up with family, the platform had its downsides, including privacy concerns and toxic arguments.
Research shows that quitting social media makes us happier, but addiction holds us back. Our minds convince us that social media is essential for our happiness, but it’s all lies. We managed without it before it existed. I deleted my Facebook and Instagram accounts, leaving me with only Twitter, which also became problematic. Twitter’s atmosphere of outrage negatively affected my well-being and consumed a lot of time.
The final willpower trick that helped me quit Twitter is more forceful: creating a barrier to make it hard to access your account. For example, changing your password to a random string, not writing it down, and then logging out. This way, you’re locked out but your account remains intact. If needed, you can get back in using the “forgot password” feature, but the additional step provides a significant barrier. For months, this has kept me off Twitter, making me happier and freeing up time.
To summarize, we’ve been exploring 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 truly enjoy exploring and sharing Dharma, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to practice together. May we all continue to progress in living with mindfulness, compassion, and joy.