Technology has altered how we interact with the world around us; and while it's obviously not all bad, it is clear that there are some disadvantages to spending all of our time navigating the constructs of social media. If we take a minute to consider the fragility that is our mental health, in the midst of a still-present pandemic, rising inflation, overall inaccessibility of resources for more and more people, and the ever-disappointing shit-show that is our political system, PLUS also not forgetting all of the individual struggles each of us attend to on a regular basis, it just makes so much sense why people continue escaping from reality by "whatever means necessary".
Sometimes, it can feel exhausting to just function; but while our reasons for escape are valid, our choices don't always benefit our mental health. This is the hold social media can have on us - social media basically being any platform that encourages interaction verbally or visually.
"Technology and increased screen time has been proven to actually fuel mental health crises in some ways—be it due to a disconnect from reality [or] less real-life social interaction" - Balasubramanian; 2022
A Growing Crisis?
While mental health issues have increased substantially over the last three decades, services to help have not grown equally. Dr. Balasubramanian, a clinical physician and advocate for health policy, writes how the biggest missing piece is availability of trained professionals, and I have personally experienced this. Over the last five years (on a number of separate occasions) I have sought out someone to work within reasonable proximity to where I live. I have never even received a phone call back.
With the advent of digital health and telehealth services, there are seemingly other options. [It admittedly does feel a bit counterproductive to use technology to combat what might be technology driven mental health issues.] These services are being held up as a fix for the current crisis with marketing centered on sessions being "easier and more convenient", offering "minimal language/cultural barriers", and increasing "patient confidence" as those seeking help don't have to consider logistics of getting to a session.
Also, there is an abundance of mental health supporting apps currently available. Here are 10 that I've either used myself or heard good things about.
Insight Timer: FREE Meditation
MoodFit: FREE Mood, Gratitude, Mindfulness
Headspace: Meditation
Calm: Meditation
Happify: Tracking and Activities for Happiness
IBreathe: FREE Stress Reduction
MindShift CBT: FREE Anxiety Reduction
Quit That: FREE Addiction Tracking
Sanvelo: Stress Relief & Peer Support
Rootd: Anxiety; Panic Attacks
Digital Well-Being
There are also "digital well-being" apps that are specifically designed to help the user navigate the amount of time they spend with their technology.
My app came as part of my phone's package. It provides features like shutting down availability at designated times and/or limiting the amount of time spent on various sites. It provides visuals for the amount of times I click into an app as well as how much time I've spent scrolling. I specifically use the timer feature for Instagram, Reddit, and Twitter. When I reach my time, I get a notice (shown below - left) and then the app stays grey on my homepage until the next day (below- right).
I really like using the timers because if given the opportunity, I will scroll, scroll away any free time I have. And then, not only do I feel disappointed later at my lack of productivity, I realize how little I've connected to all of the content I've consumed.
Before moving on, I do want to note that there is controversy surrounding apps of this nature. There are claims that the apps are data mining: collecting and storing our data. Please protect your online presence; but, just know Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, (all of them) ... they all do that exact thing.
[Shown Left: Notification; Right: Greyed Icon]
Intentional Use
Lastly, I want to mention the Becoming Minimalist website and specifically a post Joshua Becker wrote about using social media intentionally. As noted above, mindless scrolling is meant to seduce us and keep us "actively" engaged and it works. How many times have you let your eyes leave the screen only to realize how long it's been.
In this article, Becker provides 10 Rules For Using Social Media as a means to guide the interaction in a more positive way. I've noted them here, but wholeheartedly recommend folks read the full, original article (and check out his other articles while you're there, they're great!).
Jump In/Jump Out: This is how I feel when I use timers. I get to feel connected, but I know I only have a short time. It forces me to not "waste" what little time I have engaging in stuff I don't actually care about.
Create. Don't Just Consume: We all use our social media differently and some people clearly prefer a more observational perspective; however, only consuming provides a more one-sided experience. When creating is involved, there is more opportunity to "control the narrative" of the content.
Use Platforms You Enjoy: How many times did I complain about Facebook before I got rid of it? So many times. It was like I was in an abusive relationship. I just kept remembering "how it used to be" without acknowledging the current version provided me absolutely nothing; and actually, it was making me incredibly annoyed whenever I opened it up. Who needs that?
Change the Culture; Don't Let it Change You: Let's use Twitter as an example since it's basically known for it's toxicity. For a while I was following this one RD. I appreciated the information at first, and she's a really good writer, but with time I found her tweets to be incredibly demeaning and condescending to people who weren't "as informed" as she was. It was easy to unfollow her and easy to start following plenty of others talking about the same information.
Take Breaks: Joshua Becker suggests extended breaks to reassess what you're getting from social media. I also think regular mini-breaks are important too. Tech-free zones in the house work well, or incremental breaks like "1 hour each day" or "1 day each week" technology-free can be just enough to reset and improve our mental health.
Don't Compare: Social media is basically the modern version of "Keeping Up With The Jones'" - except now, not only are we in pursuit of whatever anyone else has, we're only seeing everyone's (photoshopped) best side or some amped up version of their life. Check out the subreddit Instagram Reality if you want some insight into the "false presentation of self".
Read More Than Just Headlines: Wasn't Twitter going to make it so you couldn't share an article without first opening it up? That's a good start.
Be The Same Online: Yep!
Try to Understand Different Viewpoints: Understanding others is integral in life, but I also think it's important to add to step away when the interaction has lost its way. I used to have this quote up in my classroom - "Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference."- It's pretty perfect.
Privacy Is Nice! Keep some! I think this is self-explanatory and self-preserving.
More Information
References
1) Becker, Joshua. 10 Rules for Using Social Media Intentionally. https://www.becomingminimalist.com/social-media-rules/. Accessed 20 Mar. 2022.
2) J.D, Sai Balasubramanian, M. D. “The Mental Health Crisis Is Growing. Is Technology One Possible Solution?” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com/sites/saibala/2021/11/26/the-mental-health-crisis-is-growing-is-technology-one-possible-solution/. Accessed 3 Apr. 2022.
3) Keles, Betul, et al. “A Systematic Review: The Influence of Social Media on Depression, Anxiety and Psychological Distress in Adolescents.” International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, vol. 25, no. 1, Dec. 2020, pp. 79–93. Taylor and Francis+NEJM, https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1590851.
4) “Technology and the Future of Mental Health Treatment.” National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/technology-and-the-future-of-mental-health-treatment. Accessed 3 Apr. 2022.
5) Vannucci, Anna, et al. “Social Media Use and Anxiety in Emerging Adults.” Journal of Affective Disorders, vol. 207, Jan. 2017, pp. 163–66. ScienceDirect, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.08.040.
Thank you for this!