Social media can be a waste of time that hurts our self-esteem and amplifies our worse instincts. We filter through a timeline of mundane details about acquaintances’ lives, links about fads, useless personality tests, and advertisements. Excessive time spent on social media is neither emotionally fulfilling nor a good use of time. Used properly, social media can be a great source of information and a door to new community. The question is not if we should abstain from social media, but how should we use the technology to make us happier and better people.
Less Social Media Gives You More Quality Free Time
Take a moment to account for how much time you spend on social media each day. We need to identify the problem before we can explore a rational solution. Can you go a couple hours without checking your phone? All the 5-15 minute chunks of time reading about things that you do not even remember at the end of the day add up. That time can be spent with our loved ones, developing interests, and exercising. Not to mention getting a good night sleep. Learning how to limit your media consumption will let you better use your time.
Putting Down Your Phone Fosters Genuine Human Connection
Genuine human emotion does not fit into 120 characters. Excessive reliance on social media erodes human connection. Writing ‘happy birthday’ on a social media platform is a poor way to show someone that you care. Explaining how isolated you feel during lock downs, sad you feel after a romantic relationship ended, or disappointed in your career isn’t captured in a quick chat message. We need to look someone in the eyes and spend time face-to-face with them. Sadly, many people prefer typing in their phones to face-to-face contact. There’s something essential missing when we don’t take time to connect to others. Taking time for connection is a rational way to prevent some of the nasty dehumanizing side-effects that we all feel.
Social Media Can Hurt Your Self-Esteem
Carefully crafted profiles do not give a realistic impression of other peoples’ lives. People tend to post only the exciting events in their lives such as vacations, promotions, weddings, and babies. They also selectively choose their most attractive pictures that make them seem interesting and popular. People rarely post about divorces, bankruptcies, miscarriages, and losing their job. This makes you feel unpopular, unattractive, and like you are the only one who does not have good things constantly happening in your life. This hurts your self-esteem. No ones life is as good as their social media implies. You can pretend that you don’t see it, but you are only lying to yourself. Taking time for a more balanced life, lets you know that you are normal and ground your self-esteem in your real-world accomplishments.
Use Social Media in Moderation
Use social media intentionally to make you happier and a better person. There’s no hard rule on the number of hours or when to use it. However, you do need to step back for perspective. Ask yourself how you feel after going on certain applications and using them for a certain amount of time. If it doesn’t make you happier, don’t do it.
Social media should be a source of information and help connect your with others. The platforms can help you develop interests, find like-minded people, and events in your local community. When it stops doing that, you should make a plan to correct it. It can feel like an addiction, but you have to do it anyway. You will feel and think much better. Take a look at my tips on how to rationally deal with emotional challenges.
