How the Social Dilemma led to My Personal Dilemma
With the recent release of The Social Dilemma (Netflix) and a surge in conversations around the vast effects of social media, it’s so important to me to share not only my thoughts on this subject matter but also to provide some practices that I try to implement as I continue using social media.
For those who have not seen the documentary yet, I highly recommend dropping everything and watching it on Netflix. It sheds light on the designers behind some of the biggest Tech companies (Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) who are responsible for shaping our digital lives; as well as Harvard and NYU professors who studied drug addiction, spread of fake news, and virtual reality. Here are some brief facts from the documentary as well as other sources on the social media effects:
Reaching over 2.7 billion users, social media extends into our financial, psychological, and moral life (The Wire)
Over the last several years, it has contributed to “toxic polarization” and a “global assault on democracy” (The Wire)
In most states, we don’t have a say in the data that is being collected when we ‘accept’ or ‘click here’ by the company we think we are interacting with (which could be collected, sold, etc.)– it’s not well regulated Federally (Armchair Expert)
Every notification (text, ‘like on Instagram, Facebook ‘tag’) has the potential to yield a dopamine influx (Harvard)
Social media use lowers self-esteem reference points – a salient, but often irrelevant, standard with which all subsequent information is compared (The Science of Well-Being)
As herd creatures, we are not meant to interact with beyond ~100 people, because it is in our nature to crave approval to obtain connection
Studies are beginning to show links between smartphone usage, increased levels of anxiety and depression, poor sleep quality, and increased risk of death (Harvard)
These facts barely scrape the surface on the effects that social media has on everyone. As much as anyone claims to be exempt, everyone who uses the platforms are being affected on a subconscious level. It is futile to deny the individual effects once you are faced with the quick and dirty. If anyone thinks that “they are not affected” they are simply fooling themselves or in denial. This leads directly into my first tip -
1. Recognize your addiction
Social media platforms are turning us into addicts as they leverage the same neural circuitry used by cocaine and slot machines that (Harvard). Being able to recognize where on the addiction spectrum you lie is the first step to taking steps towards preventative measures.
a. What is your daily screen time in reference to social media?
b. Do you find yourself unable to not immediately respond to a notification?
c. Have you spent a day without checking social media?
d. Is the first thing you do every morning, and last thing you do every night, check your social media accounts?
2. Disconnect
As of a few months ago, which coincided with my increased use of social media for my Blog, I decided to disconnect from my phone for at least one day a week. Soon, I increased this to weekends. I do my part to put in place self-enforced restrictions to not go on my phone when I’m spending time with friends, trying to be productive, and right before I go to sleep. Honestly, the most creativity was born in these times and it’s so freeing to experience time without being attached to your phone.
3. Limit use
I always thought that I had ADD and realized that with healthy habits (like a regular sleep cycle) and discipline, that this was a scam. I know this might be a hot take considering how many people in our generation are prescribed amphetamines, but we can save this deep dive for another post.
a. I was introduced to the Pomodoro Technique (25-minute work sessions and 5 minute break) by one of my managers and it has really boosted my focus and aided in limited phone use. I don’t allow myself to go on the phone until the Breaks, and make sure to put it away at the beginning of the work session. My favorite apps are Focus Keeper and Forest (also has a Chrome extension that can block websites for enhanced focus).
4. Affirmation
Daily affirmations are part of my morning routine. Affirmations allow me to clarify my intentions and speak into existence the type of person I want to be. By incorporating a section about consciously using social media, I’m, training my brain to recognize the true effects it has.
5. Spread Awareness
Recognizing this information can be hard to sit with. Trust me. When I first had a conversation with my friend Erin, I was contemplating deleting Instagram and honestly still contemplate it frequently. I couldn’t sleep for 48 hours when I watched the Social Dilemma despite knowing a lot of this information. It’s hard to sit with since it plays such a large role in our lives. But leveraging ‘ignorance is bliss’ is a cop out. It’s important to educate ourselves on the effects so that we can take appropriate steps for our well-being, the future generation, and put in place proper measures to prevent this addiction from taking over the lives of future generations.
If even the creators of these platforms admit to the exploitation of human beings, the call to action is deeply necessary on behalf of humanity.
Sources:
Orlowski, Jeff, Director. The Social Dilemma. Netflix, 2020, www.netflix.com/title/81254224.
Thakur, Tanul. “'The Social Dilemma': An All Embracing Addiction That Is Both Alluring and Alienating.” The Wire, 13 Sept. 2020, thewire.in/film/the-social-dilemma-netflix-media-review.
Armchair Umbrella. “Leah Plunkett.” Armchair Expert, 17 Sept. 2020, https://open.spotify.com/episode/1RTkyRJ5QantghzFgXWHte?si=sk_WDNL4TpCyQkP7JHrbXg.
Santos, Laurie. “Why Our Expectations are so Bad?” The Science of Wellbeing. 8 Apr. 2020.
Haynes, Trevor. “Dopamine, Smartphones & You: A Battle for Your Time.” Science in the News, 27 Feb. 2019, sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2018/dopamine-smartphones-battle-time/.
Kumar, Santhosh. “How Dopamine Driven Feedback Loops Work?” Digitash, 21 Feb. 2020, digitash.com/technology/internet/how-dopamine-driven-feedback-loops-work/.
