.
Just five months ago I was a worshipper of social media. Inherently, I hated it but couldn’t get rid of it. Social media was like my illegal son. I didn’t love him but couldn’t get away from him. I was in a constant state of battle with my inner self. Social media was seriously affecting my life, my performance, my productivity and also my relationships but still I couldn’t abandon it. The reason was quite simple: ' I was addicted."
I got the first jest of social media when I was in grade 9. I opened facebook. At that time, very few people I knew had facebook. And it became a medium to express my thoughts. Facebook then was my blog. Years passed by, and about a billion more people were on facebook. Everybody I knew was on facebook and all other social media. Social media became almost a social symbol. How dare you not wear clothes in a social meeting? In a parallel statement, how dare you not use social media?
It took me time and damage to realize that social media was doing me more harm than good. I was at low point in my life struggling to make progress and achieve my ambitious goals. When I put a lot of thought into what was holding me back, social media and the time I wasted on it was a frontrunner to be my number one slippery slide to misery. Yes, I was addicted. I lost general sense of time when I was on social media. Hours and sometimes even days passed by and I couldn’t get enough of the action.
The thing that most people don’t understand is social media is addictive and is designed to keep you on it as long as possible. Social media can be as addictive as heroine. Once I realized that something is wrong with it, I did a lot of research. I studied 100s of articles and research studies and I also dived into the general physiology of all forms of addiction. What I found surprised me. All addictions have the same basic physiology. Heroin addiction and the addiction for likes and comments release the same chemical "dopamine" in your brain and follow the same physiological pathways. All in all, all addictions have the same physiology. People if deprived of social media show withdrawal symptoms just like an alcoholic would if banned from drinking. The urge is also similar. There is an unconscious urge in every social media user to log in even when there are no notifications. Don’t blame yourself; you have already wired your brain to do so.
As my research became deeper, I realized I had become a compulsive social media user. I used to post the weirdest of shit for validation of people that I don’t even care about. I used to edit my pics so that I could look the best version of myself. I wasted countless hours talking to girls, flirting, mindless surfing, reacting to posts that didn’t matter etc.
I am not saying that Zuckerberg created this devil that is going to destroy our world. Social media is a fast, cheap and reliable means to connect with people. I want to stress the word connect. I want only meaningful connections in my life. I don’t need to see photos of my school friend and also don’t need his comment on my post. It carries no value. The people that really matter my family, my true friends and my close relatives can connect without social media. If you don’t meet someone regularly or talk with tem often then what's the point of being connected on facebook. And if you do meet them and talk often, why the need to be connected on social media? Viber, skype, mails, phone calls and meeting in person are far better means than facebook and instagram.
Once I realized that social media was not adding an value to my life, it was time to let go. And it was my hardest letting go till date. I absolutely struggled to get rid of social media for 3 long years. Everyday was a struggle. I deleted, deactivated everyday only to succumb to a strong urge to check updates that didn’t matter. It was a constant battle that social media won. I realized what a drug addict must feel like. He knows that its hurting him but still can't get rid of it.
The only thing that led m victory over my social media addiction was my strong willpower and my never say quit attitude. I failed everyday for 3 long years but never in my mind, I accepted failure. I adopted new ways and techniques to get over my addiction. I am proud of myself. While a social media addiction might not seem that big of a deal, only I know the extent of damage it had done in my life and how desperate I was for a change. I am proud because I didn't quit. I am proud because I found a way. Millions of articles are available on the internet about this addiction. Believe it or not social media addiction is now an accepted medical condition. I am thankful that I have been free from it for 5 long months. Urges still hit me but I have developed a strong willpower, self control and coping mechanisms to not fall back into it ever again.
I am free from the constant bombardment of myriad of pointless information. I am free from the "Fakeness" and constant negativity. I no longer have the urge to be someone that I am not on the internet. I have a deep appreciation of people that I actually care about instead of meaningless and temporary connections that are formed online. You don’t have to take m word. Just try a one week detoxification from social media and notice the changes ourselves. I worry for the world in which people are judged based on their online image.
That girl who has 300 likes on her photo is not as beautiful. That guy who always seems to be happy and having fun on facebook is depressed from the inside. You could certainly make a case for moderation and use social media in balance. But remember social media is a drug, sooner or later, you will become addicted!
Just five months ago I was a worshipper of social media. Inherently, I hated it but couldn’t get rid of it. Social media was like my illegal son. I didn’t love him but couldn’t get away from him. I was in a constant state of battle with my inner self. Social media was seriously affecting my life, my performance, my productivity and also my relationships but still I couldn’t abandon it. The reason was quite simple: ' I was addicted."
I got the first jest of social media when I was in grade 9. I opened facebook. At that time, very few people I knew had facebook. And it became a medium to express my thoughts. Facebook then was my blog. Years passed by, and about a billion more people were on facebook. Everybody I knew was on facebook and all other social media. Social media became almost a social symbol. How dare you not wear clothes in a social meeting? In a parallel statement, how dare you not use social media?
It took me time and damage to realize that social media was doing me more harm than good. I was at low point in my life struggling to make progress and achieve my ambitious goals. When I put a lot of thought into what was holding me back, social media and the time I wasted on it was a frontrunner to be my number one slippery slide to misery. Yes, I was addicted. I lost general sense of time when I was on social media. Hours and sometimes even days passed by and I couldn’t get enough of the action.
The thing that most people don’t understand is social media is addictive and is designed to keep you on it as long as possible. Social media can be as addictive as heroine. Once I realized that something is wrong with it, I did a lot of research. I studied 100s of articles and research studies and I also dived into the general physiology of all forms of addiction. What I found surprised me. All addictions have the same basic physiology. Heroin addiction and the addiction for likes and comments release the same chemical "dopamine" in your brain and follow the same physiological pathways. All in all, all addictions have the same physiology. People if deprived of social media show withdrawal symptoms just like an alcoholic would if banned from drinking. The urge is also similar. There is an unconscious urge in every social media user to log in even when there are no notifications. Don’t blame yourself; you have already wired your brain to do so.
As my research became deeper, I realized I had become a compulsive social media user. I used to post the weirdest of shit for validation of people that I don’t even care about. I used to edit my pics so that I could look the best version of myself. I wasted countless hours talking to girls, flirting, mindless surfing, reacting to posts that didn’t matter etc.
I am not saying that Zuckerberg created this devil that is going to destroy our world. Social media is a fast, cheap and reliable means to connect with people. I want to stress the word connect. I want only meaningful connections in my life. I don’t need to see photos of my school friend and also don’t need his comment on my post. It carries no value. The people that really matter my family, my true friends and my close relatives can connect without social media. If you don’t meet someone regularly or talk with tem often then what's the point of being connected on facebook. And if you do meet them and talk often, why the need to be connected on social media? Viber, skype, mails, phone calls and meeting in person are far better means than facebook and instagram.
Once I realized that social media was not adding an value to my life, it was time to let go. And it was my hardest letting go till date. I absolutely struggled to get rid of social media for 3 long years. Everyday was a struggle. I deleted, deactivated everyday only to succumb to a strong urge to check updates that didn’t matter. It was a constant battle that social media won. I realized what a drug addict must feel like. He knows that its hurting him but still can't get rid of it.
The only thing that led m victory over my social media addiction was my strong willpower and my never say quit attitude. I failed everyday for 3 long years but never in my mind, I accepted failure. I adopted new ways and techniques to get over my addiction. I am proud of myself. While a social media addiction might not seem that big of a deal, only I know the extent of damage it had done in my life and how desperate I was for a change. I am proud because I didn't quit. I am proud because I found a way. Millions of articles are available on the internet about this addiction. Believe it or not social media addiction is now an accepted medical condition. I am thankful that I have been free from it for 5 long months. Urges still hit me but I have developed a strong willpower, self control and coping mechanisms to not fall back into it ever again.
I am free from the constant bombardment of myriad of pointless information. I am free from the "Fakeness" and constant negativity. I no longer have the urge to be someone that I am not on the internet. I have a deep appreciation of people that I actually care about instead of meaningless and temporary connections that are formed online. You don’t have to take m word. Just try a one week detoxification from social media and notice the changes ourselves. I worry for the world in which people are judged based on their online image.
That girl who has 300 likes on her photo is not as beautiful. That guy who always seems to be happy and having fun on facebook is depressed from the inside. You could certainly make a case for moderation and use social media in balance. But remember social media is a drug, sooner or later, you will become addicted!
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