Our team’s top tips on how to stop a social-media addiction

Social media platformsThey are the new town square. However, the anonymity of online profiles as well as algorithmically funneled echo rooms has led to toxic interactions and overconcern about our self-presentation. Social networks claim to connect us but they can also distract us from connecting with others. This can lead to many feeling disconnected and paradoxically connected. Moreover, the dopamine-inducing features of social media utilize the same neural circuitry as gambling, causing the brain’s reward region to trigger the same kind of chemical reaction seen with drugs like cocaine. Here’s everything you need to know about social media addiction and some tips from the Android Authority team to curb it.

The short answer is: Because the apps are meant to be. As the late Edward O. Wilson famously stated, “the real problem of humanity is the following: we have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and god-like technology.” While civilization is spurring-off new marvels every day, our brains are the same as they were in pre-historic times, and our biological hardware can’t keep up with the rapid developments of modern life. Technology has outsmarted us. It can learn from our psychological biases and vulnerabilities and predict what we want. So, getting sucked into our smartphones has been no accident.

In an economy where advertisers and developers are competing for human attention, maximising the time you spend scrolling is key. How does this happen? It’s a simple trick using intermittent reward variables. B. F. SkinnerIn the 20th century, it was discovered that if you tie an action to an unpredictable outcome with random rewards, you can increase repeat behavior. This mechanism is used in slot machines, where you can win big or nothing with every pull of the lever. It’s why slot machines make more moneyThe United States has more movies, baseball, and theme parks than all other sports combined.

But here’s the truth: It’s the same game being played on your phone. Every time you pull down on the screen to refresh your content feed or swipe back and forth to see what’s new, you are spinning the wheel in the hopes that something exciting pops up. Maybe it’s that email you’ve been waiting for, or a new match on a dating app! Add to that the fear of missing out, and our need for social approval. Someone commented on your post or tagged you in a picture; you’d better check it immediately.

While we may think that we can choose how we spend our time, these subtle incentives know which buttons to push to guide us to never leave social media platforms. It’s why messaging apps automatically tell the sender when you “read” their message instead of letting you choose to disclose whether you saw it; it creates a sense of urgency and obligation to respond. Our agency is being taken over right under our noses. We wonder where all the time went.

Recent research has shown that excessive social media use can lead to psychological and physical problems. These can include addictive behaviors, withdrawal symptoms, depression, anxiety and a misperception of reality. Here are some of these most common negative effects of social networking addiction:

• Cognitive effects:Social media problems are directly linked to the emergence serious cognitive effects a year later.This can lead to decreased attention, increased impulsivity, or increased hyperactivity..
• Reduction in gray matter:MRI brain scans of Facebook users showed a significant increase in brain activity. reduction in gray matterIn the amygdala. This is called “pruning away brain matter”. Similar to the cell death experienced by cocaine addicts.
• Eating disorders:Instagram users are more likely to spend more time on the site. develop an eating disorder.
• Anxiety and neuroticism: A person’s social media usage level could predict their neuroticism and anxiety one year later.
• Distraction from the surrounding environmentTake photos to share on social media increases a user’s focus on self-identity and self-presentationThey are unable to connect with the world around them.
• Suicide risk is rising A 66% increase in the risk of suicide-related outcomesIt was found that teenage girls spend more than five hours each day on social networking sites (compared with one hour each day).
• Anger: Studies show that the emotion that travels far and fastest on social media is empathy. anger.

These are just some of the disturbing side effects of social media use. What’s more troubling is that the effects are worse for the younger generation, highlighting the importance of parents monitoringLimiting the time that children spend online is important. We are only beginning see the long-term effects that children grow up in an online environment that allows them to compare themselves to other flawless, edited profiles. A world in which 77% of teenagers get their news from social mediaVirality is the new truth. more than half of studentsAdvertising cannot be distinguished from real news or fact from fiction. We are the test generation and can spend endless time on social media. We must be more aware of where we are focusing our attention and prioritise our values and needs over our impulses.

Here Android Authority, phones aren’t just a hobby but a full-time job. Our team members are conscious of the potential dangers that popular apps could cause. I asked the team for their best tips. They shared their experiences so that you can make conscious choices about social media.

Regardless of which social media platform you use to curb your addiction, cold turkey is the best way to do so. Delete the app and your account, and don’t use it again. It is not easy, but it is possible. One way to start weaning yourself off is to disable notifications, so you aren’t tempted to open the app constantly. A second way to limit your time on social media platforms is to set a time limit. app timers. If you feel tempted to keep scrolling past your limits, give the unlock password to someone else so you can’t. Focus ModesiOS can also be used to filter out notifications from other social media sites and maintain discipline.

Delegate social media to a separate device

“Social media is hard. Many of us are involved in some way or another in social media for work purposes. A quick check of your personal account can become a bad habit once you have plugged in for work. To avoid being forced to go to social, my method is to compartmentalize.

Extremely, I also have a separate phone for work. My daily driver NEVER receives social media notifications; heck, I don’t even have social apps installed right now. The apps are logged into work accounts on the secondary device. It is a physical burden to have access, so I leave the work phone at home during off hours. I can live my life and not be distracted by the work account. It will be a huge help to manage which accounts you have and what notifications you get. As for general smartphone addictions, social media will be there when you have time to sit on the phone, so don’t let notifications tear you away from your precious offline time.”

What are you getting out social media?

“I used to have all the social platforms on my phone and use them as most people do. Then I started thinking critically about them and my usage (and these companies’ business models). It all started with Facebook. I was surprised at how little I got out of it. I deleted my account after using it less and less. This was a decision that I have never regretted.

Next was Instagram. I didn’t set out to be insta-famous. After a while, it felt more like a chore than something I enjoyed. There are far better ways to entertain myself, and I’m very aware of the dark side of IG, so that was also easy to ditch. The same logic followed for all social platforms (except Twitter, which I still need for work even though I rarely post) — what did I get out of using them vs. the companies behind them?

What starts out as fun or FOMO for many people quickly turns into donating your data and attention for… not much of value. If social is still fun for you and you think it’s a healthy relationship, then that’s great, but as soon as it’s not, just be honest with yourself. You might be surprised how much easier things get after that.”

Know when to tune in, and when to tune out

“The short answer? I don’t have Twitter or Facebook installed on my phone. Instagram is available for cat videos but all notifications are disabled so I can only access it when I want. I don’t have a TikTok account. The long answer is: Grab a cup.

Facebook was not something that interested me, but Twitter has been my weak spot for years. I joined the social networking site in 2007 and was extremely active until 2014. I made a network with like-minded nerdy friends all over the world, met many of them face to face, and found opportunities to improve my writing career. Then Twitter got larger, its usage and purpose shifted, and I couldn’t find my own bearings anymore. My usage began to decline. I stopped using the app and lived a solitary life for a few more years. 2019 was a turning point in my life. Lebanon’s economic and societal collapse forced me to be more in touch with what was happening in the country, so I reinstalled Twitter.

I had to rethink how I used the service. Follow more Lebanese people and remove inactive friends whose interests are not aligned with mine. I also had to be more aware of what I shared publicly. I also separated my timeline into lists for tech and Eurovision. I thought I had done everything I could to balance the doom with light and fun content. But I was sucked in by the negativity. It was everywhere. Name a topic, and the “fans” had already ruined it with toxic comments, “ratios,” and generally infuriating behavior.

For a while I felt that this was the price I had to pay to stay up to date with Lebanese and global news. But then, after much ruminating over an issue I couldn’t control, it dawned on my. One, I no more lived in Lebanon. Although my parents were still there, I had earned the privilege of not caring too much about the everyday hell they’re living in. (Immigration is both a real and insensitive mess. Two, Twitter was affecting my productivity and focus at work as well as my mood. I was always angry at whatever the topic of the day was. I finally uninstalled it, as simple as that.

I made the decision to prioritize my mental health and happiness over my work. While I am grateful for the education and awareness that Twitter has given me, I can’t handle these issues objectively without letting them affect my life. I chose to not know and not be outraged. Now I log in from time to time on the web and tweet — mostly Android Authority articles.”

Continue reading: How to check screen time on Android — Make sure you’re using your time wisely

As you’ve seen, none of us is perfect, and we all sometimes get distracted by social networking. But our time is limited, and the enjoyment we get from social media often isn’t lasting. To reiterate Edward O. Wilson’s quote from the beginning of this article, we have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and god-like technology. Our brains have always been wired for face-to–face interaction with real people, not avatars on a screen.

We hope that this article has helped you to understand some of the psychological tricks social networks use to keep you connected and how to overcome them. We wish you all the best with your digital detox.