My Rules for Social Media
I've been interested in the addictive qualities of social media for the last several years, reading several blogs and listening to podcasts about its effects on society and people who have quit.
The big turning point seemed to be the shift from people only being able to connect on social media through mutual adds to a follower-based model, where a one-sided connection became possible. It also changed how people use social media, with many now playing reporter and reposting every devastating news piece happening across the world. Many who do this seem to get overwhelmed by their social media use and frequently take breaks, only to return to the same habits a few months later. What’s the point?
While I don't take breaks or plan to quit social media completely, I’ve implemented a set of rules over the past year that I find effective.
1. I won't check social media first thing in the morning. It has to be after gratitude practice, making my bed, washing up, morning stretch exercises, and reading the news with coffee. And if I remember to check by then, which is usually an hour after I wake up, I try to just reply to messages but avoid scrolling.
2. No doomscrolling for me. Ever. The algorithm shows me close friends, bike events, and some comedians at the top, so I'll look for a bit but dip after a minute or so.
3. No Instagram exploration page for me. It's too much, reminding me of Back to the Future Part II, when in the future people watch five TV channels at once. I feel like it’s trying to pull me away from my life. But sometimes I still find myself there, it’s sneaky how the UX forces me to the explore page if I just want to search for a friend's profile or like a restaurant account.
4. I've unfollowed most influencers. I don't need to see their lives, which is presented in a way where I find myself comparing myself to them. A friend once recommended a birding influencer after I got into birding, but it was the opposite of what I love about it. Instead of being about nature and seeing birds, it brought me back to my phone and seeing how cool this birding guy's life supposedly is. It was a terrible follow for me, but a great unfollow. I do follow comedians and athletes I’m a fan of, but I count that as different since it doesn’t cause the same comparison effect. Don’t ask me why.
5. I mute people who post news and politics. While those reposting usually mean well, the original sources often create rage bait for engagement after getting users riled up. It also creates echo chambers, and for me, that has unhealthy effects. I still like staying informed, so I subscribe to two daily email newsletters that present things in a straightforward way. Both aim to be non-partisan, with one being more domestic news and other being internationa. It’s a nice read with my morning coffee.
6. If I find myself falling off the wagon and checking social media too often, I enable an app called OneSec that makes me wait 30 seconds before opening Instagram, asking “Are you sure?” during the countdown. I usually change my mind by then. It helped me stop automatically opening it whenever I was in line or bored.
These rules have kept me off for most of the day, and I’ve felt the improvements. Taking it a bit further, I’ve started leaving my earbuds at home when going for walks, and sometimes leaving my phone at home altogether. Since that’s more about being present than social media, I’ll save that for another post.