On Social Media

Intro: Oftentimes, activities in the physical world are filmed and recorded to be served online. Living beings bow their heads to watch. Eyes dart, heart rate slows, and the living beings generally enjoy the feeling, the viewing, and return for more. This is Social Media* (SM). Viewing is almost as good as living, but sometimes it’s even better! 

Viewpoint 1:

SM is a counterfeit of authentic human connection- every “👍” and “💗” on a post is a worse version of an in-person “compliment” or “hug”. Every "comment" is a worse version of an in-person “conversation”. SM is a connection-game that is played on the computer or phone, but is just a charade of the real thing.
Within the connection-game, a user “posts” to gain capital. This capital/goodwill is used to grow the user’s reputation within the game. The users with the most capital are winning 🥳, and those with less are losing 😭.

The capital earned within the game can be redeemed in the physical world for bookings on talk shows, or sponsorship deals. 

 

Human attention can tend to feel enslaved/addicted to SM. A byproduct of which is feelings of loneliness and shame. This drops users into a cycle where the most convenient way to get rid of icky feelings is to return for more watching and scrolling. If “comparison is the thief of joy”, then SM is guilty.

Viewpoint 2:

It’s not an abomination, it’s an advance.

SM is an improvement upon our society- providing us with an opportunity to expand our capacity for connection, but our tiny little brains just haven’t figured out how to deal with the overflow of information and connections. 

It’s not fake connection, it’s just too much connection. 

Viewpoint 3:

This is as far as I got- feel free to add a viewpoint if it’s different than above. 

Conclusion:

The 2 million dollar question- what to DO about it?
You’ve probably tried a fast, or “giving it up” for awhile, but then came back, right? Because saying “no” to SM is saying “yes” to boredom, so it’s no wonder we come crawling back. I mean, if you’re reading this, you got here through SM. So how about this- there’s no way to escape it. I repeat- THERE IS NO ESCAPE. 

So my interest is in coping. I continue to feel guilty/frustrated/pessimistic when I use. 

So here are some solutions that have worked for me: 

ZERO reels on FB or IG

IG only on Saturdays

Having a journal in which I write the title of every Youtube video, duration, and sometimes “what I learned”

Making my phone greyscale (but now it’s back in color- it was short term useful)

Lighting a candle, and as long as it’s lit, I’m not allowed to open SM

Creative writing about the deleterious effects of SM

These “solutions” are not solutions, but just coping strategies that help me buckle gracefully under the weight of ( the most powerful force in the world. )

*Social Media - I know that this applies to TV too

Here’s a better piece of writing about this topic: https://jsomers.net/DFW_TV.pdf