Social media, as a whole, has changed significantly since its introduction. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter helped connect people and spread ideas across the globe, but now propagate bubbles of misinformation and anger to the masses.
As I have previously written, my relationship with social media is different compared from most people my age. My social media use is significantly lower, and that goes for all platforms. I used to frequent Twitter a lot, but after taking a seven-day cleanse from the platform, I have reduced my usage to almost nil.
Even though I have the feeling like I want to quit social media, there is still the nagging feeling like there is something I am missing out on. Partially this is due to how these platforms are designed, as there is a fear of missing out to keep you coming back. Thanks to shiny notifications and algorithms, social media apps are programmed to entice you to return to the platform after a hiatus. Engagement is critical for these services, so they must keep you on their platform as much as possible. Another method used by platforms is the reverse-chronological timeline, where there is an ever-constant drip-feed of contact coming in. If there is always something new, you will not want to leave. There is another way to change the impact social media has on daily life, but requires more introspective thought.
How one uses social media can change the impact it has on life. Instead of viewing it as something for personal enjoyment, seeing it as a tool to use changes how you view it dramatically. In Deep Work, Cal Newport breaks down why you should quit social media as it is a major distraction from focus. He also proposes a method to change how we use social media and to make it more beneficial in the long run. This method, called the Craftsman Approach to Tool Selection, aims only to use tools that will have a significant positive impact on your happiness in your personal or professional life. The positive impacts must be more than the negative effects on the use of a tool.
Instead of outright deleting social media or keeping on the same trend, take the time to see what these platforms can do for you. If a platform provides more harm than good, then there is no reason to keep going on. Breaking down how we use these platforms as we would a hammer or pencil helps us to judge the costs versus the benefits. It also helps to see how much control we have over these platforms when we can break down what benefits they have to our lives. While Facebook may seem like a monolith, when we analyze what we use it for it does not seem as massive as before. From that point, we can eliminate the wasteful social media usage and free up time previously wasted.
Social media will always be a distraction that keeps us from reaching Deep Work. Whether it’s the buzz of a notification or the endless scroll through cat pictures, it can be hard to put down and focus on what will benefit you long-term. If we change the way we use social media, we can help reduce its control over our lives.
References:
Newport, C. (2016). Rule #3 – Quit Social Media. In Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World (pp. 181-214). New York, NY: Grand Central Publishing.
Cooper, A. (2017). What is “brain hacking”? Tech insiders on why you should care. CBS News, from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/brain-hacking-tech-insiders-60-minutes/
Thompson, C. (2017, November 15). Social media is keeping us stuck in the moment. THIS, from https://this.org/2017/11/15/social-media-is-keeping-us-stuck-in-the-moment/
Bailey MeCey 
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