Social Media Addiction
Recently I realised I was addicted to social media. I think I still am.
Behaviours included pulling out my phone any time there was a gap in my life, spending long hours scrolling, and most importantly: having remembered nothing of what I had just seen in any given session.
It’s hard for me to exactly characterise why I’ve been doing this. I like to make excuses, such as saying to myself that shorter periods of time between events do not lend themselves to the concentration required to focus on something traditionally considered productive, such as reading a book. Or that the book I’m reading (currently Crime and Punishment) is not interesting enough.
Having reflected on it, I think it boils down to a single thing, which I’ve termed the funny. Mostly, I think the reason why I’ve spent a lot of time on Reddit and Instagram is because they frequently deliver the funny after not much effort. Sometimes, after a particularly shit day I just want to hunker down in a cozy place and receive the funny.
In the long term, I don’t think it’s healthy. I’m trying to slowly wean myself off both of them. Reddit, by finding a bunch of blogs of people I find entertaining, interesting, or otherwise, and adding them to an RSS reader. Instagram, by simply not using the Explore page. I still want to see updates from friends who use it.
Not only in pursuit of the funny, it could be also an inherent need for some semblance of community. Best I can do is parasocial relationships (not really healthy either oops).
So. This blog. Maybe it’ll be an addiction of its own?