An Open Letter To Social Media Addicts
Dear Social Media addicts,
First things first – don’t deny it. Acceptance is the first step towards change. Admit the fact that you’re a social media addict. Admit it? Great, read further.
If your day starts and ends with social media every single day without fail, and if you have trouble logging out of your favorite social media sites, you might have a problem. Have a look – how many social media accounts do you have? Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, Pinterest, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon and many more, right? All of us on social media are curious to try out new things and thus, we get addicted to all the great stuff the world of social media has to offer.
But…how much is too much?
If you do any of the things below mentioned, you might be obsessed with social media:
1. You check your phone immediately after you wake up to check your notifications.
2. You feel the need to check your notifications every few minutes and keep refreshing the page.
3. You are engrossed in your social media conversations during important meetings/face-to-face conversations/while watching a movie in the theatre/while away on vacation.
4. You need to charge your phone many times a day.
5. Your phone is filled with plenty of social media apps.
6. You’re at a family dinner but you’re busy taking pictures of the food to post on Facebook.
7. Every time you see/do something, you feel the need to tweet it.
8. You feel like tweeting/updating minute details of your daily life.
9. You use social media at work secretly when you should be working instead.
10. You get social media withdrawal symptoms if you’re away from the virtual world for a few days.
11. You doze off with your phone/iPad in your hand.
As you might understand, going overboard with your social media addiction can prove to be hazardous to you and your life.
Here are a few ways to reduce your addiction to social media:
1. If you’re busy in an important meeting, switch off all notifications of your social media apps.
2. Remember, family comes BEFORE social media. The time you spend chatting with people online could be used in spending quality time with your loved ones. Think about it.
3. Instead of sitting around checking your notifications, go for a walk outside, meet friends, visit coffee shops, play with your pets, enjoy all the great things life has to offer.
4. Keep your phone/iPad away, preferably in the other room, when you sleep.
5. At work, set your priorities straight. Focus on your work.
6. While on vacation, fully enjoy the surroundings, the people, the food of the place you’re visiting. Take pictures. But upload them only when you’re back home from vacation. That way, you have completely enjoyed your holiday without getting distracted by social media. You can go a step further by uninstalling your social media apps so your urge to check and reply to notifications can be avoided.
7. Set a time table. Tell yourself that you’ll use social media for only a specific number of hours and after that, you’ll go back to your offline life. I have started working on this recently, and let me tell you – if you’re serious about it, it works.
We often don’t realize when social media becomes the top priority in our lives, when it should be just a source of knowledge, information, and friendships. It definitely doesn’t hold higher importance than your loved ones, does it? So, if you’re addicted, just stop, sit back and think. Are you spending enough time with your family, children and friends? Make necessary changes and you’ll be just fine. Don’t forget, balance is key. I’m a social media addict too and I have already started to make changes in my social media routine, have you? 😉
Sincerely,
Me.
Image: graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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Interesting thoughts Nicky! It really is hard to get that balance, I liken it to being on a see-saw where you are usually either too high or too low, seldom in just the right place but still enjoying the ride most of the time.
I think the key is to not take any of it too seriously and to step back from time to time if you feel you are getting in too deep.
Tony 🙂
Tony Hastings recently posted..10 Facts About Our Universe To Add Some Perspective To Your Day
Exactly, I agree with you Tony! Very well said! 🙂
LOL!!!! loved it Nicky….. best part is as I was reading I was smiling as I myself am addicted to social media… different touch from usual blogs…. great… awesome as usual!!! (:
Yousuf Rafi recently posted..How to unleash your Creativity
Thanks Yousuf! So, are you gonna make changes in your social media routine now? 🙂
guilty as charged! how do i focus on work when social media has so much to offer?
As I said in the post, you have to set your priorities straight. What do you want to focus on more? What is more important to you? Ask yourself such questions and you’ll have the answer!
Joshua – didn’t recognize you in this photo! 😉
Excellent point Nicky about having your priorities straight! There is at time and place for everything we do and to be so taken with the virtual world to the neglect of family and friends in the “real world” is a shame. It is best to schedule the day out in order to avoid neglecting anyone if at all possible.
I can still remember (ha) when we didn’t have cell phones, and yet now we can’t live without them. But, I have learned the joys of the on and off button! 😉 Have a great day!
Wow that’s an impressive post. Some heavyweight insights :D. A very useful and informative post.