ALTHOUGH SOCIAL MEDIA IS GREAT FOR CONNECTING WITH OTHERS, IT’S ESSENTIAL TO KNOW WHEN TO LOG OFF TO PRESERVE YOUR ENERGY AND TIME.
Do you ever doom scroll or constantly pick up your phone to check your social media profiles? If the answer is yes, you aren’t the only one. A recent study reported that, on average, people touch their phones 2,617 times daily, with the top 10% touching their phones more than 5,400 times daily, providing a stark reminder of how much time we spend on our phones and how easily distracted we can be due to social media. Not only is social media taking away from our in-person interactions, but it’s also lowering our levels of productivity and focus.
According to data, social media reduces productivity: 1 out of 4 employees find themselves distracted during the workday by browsing social media sites. But why are we so drawn to social media as a distraction? A study describes social media’s strong pull factor as “hedonic appeal” or flat-out temptation, which makes users “drawn to distraction” and leads them to minimize and avoid their primary goals and tasks. Unfortunately, social media users tend to actively leverage the platforms to fulfill specific needs and gratifications, such as belonging, connection, and stress relief, although it may be a distraction.
Users may also use social media to unknowingly procrastinate on their tasks, as they may be overwhelmed, stressed, or tired – social media can serve as a release or escape from everyday life and work pressures. However, self-control and overriding impulses to achieve a higher-level goal are crucial to resist the temptation of social media distractions.
But how can we limit our time on social media when our peers, colleagues, and loved ones are active? Here are some tips to help guide you.
- 1. Set a time dedicated to working on projects without your phone nearby.
2. Download a social media blocker.
3. Turn off those notifications.
4. Curate a schedule for checking social media.
5. Delete social media platform apps off your phone to only have web browser access.
6. Post less frequently
7. Reward yourself
Thoughts:
Well, this post is only a practical suggestion for everyone,lol. As far as I am aware of, most of our class have been sticky and even addicted to social media, including me. I even remembered that I have said to my friends two years ago that I will never use TikTok,let alone getting addictive to it; however, things do not go my way.
For me I would say, suggestion 2 and 5 would be good ways for us to try. Like what we do when we try to help someone quit substance or alcohol, we have to decrease the exposures that would trigger their motivation or whatever zone in the brain. Like the TedTalk We have watched in the class, the true mechanism that anchors us to social media is actually “wanting” instead of “liking”. And other suggestions mentioned above are pretty much related to isolation, like keeping your phones away or turn off the notifications. Don’t give yourself a chance because humans do that.
See original article: https://www.essence.com/news/watch-what-we-love-about-black-men/
U Penn Social Book 
Wise words.