Digital Sobriety blog is here to help people make more informed decisions on their digital lives and habits.
It is no secret that using smartphones and other technologies can quickly get out of hand, that a 60% of U.S. college students consider themselves ‘phone addicts’, and an even larger number consider smartphones and the apps on them an essential part of their daily life.
Unlike the previous generations, Generation Z grew up surrounded with screens and social media pressures, and many are unable to even imagine a world without constant connectivity. The convenience provided by the Internet and social media is great, until it starts affecting your real life in a negative way.
Digital Sobriety is a blog dedicated to helping youth of the 21st century find the right balance between their online and offline lives. You might also notice a lack of interactive media and pop-ups on this website. This is intentional, as it is my wish to provide pure value, without unnecessary vanity or distractions.
Contents
What counts as ‘negative impact’ of social media?
Why are we attracted to social media?
Are you addicted to your phone?
How do we gain back the control over our digital lives?
What does all of this mean for me?
What counts as ‘negative impact’ of social media?
If you have experienced some or all of the following during or because of your social media use, you should probably reconsider your relationship with technology:
- fear of missing out
- feeling of inadequacy (social life, appearance, wealth…)
- isolation
- depression and/or anxiety (developing or being worsened)
- self-absorption
- cyberbullying
- distraction from work or school
- spending more time online than with ‘real-life’ friends
- putting yourself or others in danger for online popularity
- obsessing over vanity metrics (number of followers, likes…)
- sleep disorders
- no time for self-reflection
If you recognize your personal experience with some of the above, you’re not alone. Psychological distress in a given month increased by 71% in young adults between 2008 and 2017, and child suicide rates have skyrocketed by 150% between 2009 and 2018.
You can read more about the statistics of social media use and their impact on mental health here.
Why are we attracted to social media?
This is by no means an exhaustive list, and the question of what keeps us on social media and similar technologies is far too complex to be solved by a simple bullet list. However, this post is supposed to be an introduction, and the purpose of the broad overview below is to get you thinking about your own use of these platforms.
- Connecting to friends or family
- Keeping up with the current news or events
- Meeting people with similar interests
- Entertainment
- Self-expression
- Learning
- Boredom with real life
- Highly curated algorithms
- Addictive design
- Dopamine reward loops
Are you addicted to your phone?
As this 2018 article in Journal of Behavioral Addictions explains, smartphone use does not fit the criteria for addiction. Although the use of smartphones and social media are correlated to the rise of mental health issues, the overall consequences are not severe enough to be considered an addiction at this time.
It is important to understand that although this article deals with the terminology, it does not ignore or deny the potential negative effects that the excessive device use can produce. It is simply an evaluation that is meant to raise awareness among the academic and journalistic circles, and alert them to use more appropriate terms, such as ‘problematic’ or ‘maladaptive’ use.
Therefore, smartphones and social media, if not used correctly, can produce negative effects. Even though phone addiction isn’t officially recognized as a disorder, some behaviors and consequences are comparable to psychiatric addictions. Some red flags to look out for are:
- Mindlessly spending time on social media, and thus risking lower performance in work/school tasks
- Losing track of time while scrolling through feeds or notifications
- Talking to people online more than real-life friends and family
- Feeling reluctant about losing your phone for a while
- Checking your phone on instinct, even though you know there’s likely no new notifications
If you’d like a more in-depth questionnaire, you can download the form below, and do a quick self-assessment. This is not supposed to be a diagnosis, nor can it replace a real psychological evaluation. The point of this questionnaire is purely for self-reflection – for you to observe your own behavior with some guiding questions, and to see if you can improve in certain parts of your digital life.
How do we gain back the control over our digital lives?
You’ve probably already tried some of the quick-fix solutions listed online, like digital detox or turning off notifications. These don’t tend to work long-term, and we end up falling into the same behavioral patterns. The strong pull towards digital platforms is the consequence of highly-sophisticated design meant to piggyback off of our psychological vulnerabilities, the culture we were raised in, with a sprinkle of peer pressure and FOMO.
So, instead of trying to life-hack our life away, we should redefine our relationship with technology from scratch.
Cal Newport, in his book Digital Minimalism, suggests what he refers to as “philosophy of technology” guided by our individual deeply held values. How do you do it in practice?
- Make a list of all optional apps (things you don’t need for work and family) – social media, streaming services and video games
- Go on a digital detox for 30 days, only keeping absolutely necessary apps (so you don’t lose your job or close family relationships). All optional apps aren’t allowed
- After 30 days, reintroduce some optional apps, only if they fulfill two criteria: the app supports a value you deeply value and is the absolute best way of supporting that value
I strongly suggest reading Newport’s books Digital Minimalism and Deep Work, as they discuss the complex relationship we have with digital platforms, and how they can be made into an ally. You can check out this post I made on works that have completely changed my life.
What does all of this mean for me?
The goal of this blog is by no means to come across as anti-technology. Instead, I propose the concept of digital mindfulness – a state of awareness of the impact of technology on our behavior and the potential negative consequences of excessive use. By being aware of what is happening, we may adjust our digital lives to better serve our needs and values, while minimizing the time wasted on things that don’t make us happy.
Of course, digital minimalism may not be for everyone. If you’ve read this introductory post and believe that it does not apply to your experience, continuing as you already are is perfectly valid. It is not my wish to impose my views on anyone. I simply wish to offer another perspective, of someone who grew up with technology like this and has personally experienced how strong and quickly social media (particularly Twitter in my case) can affect you and pull you in. If you recognize yourself in this description, I recommend you read on and keep educating yourself on this topic.
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