Numerous studies have revealed that the typical person spends more than two hours every day on social media. While this figure might not seem dangerous, social media addiction is a serious and common issue that can be developed pretty, easily, especially among youngsters.
With the widely available Internet, anybody may connect as long as they have a suitable gadget and an Internet connection. You may find at least one provider nearby wherever you go thanks to ISPs like Spectrum, Verizon, AT&T, and others. And if you aren’t yet connected to a stable connection, you can call Spectrum Customer Service and get a great Internet plan within a few days.
Even if it all seems wonderful, there are certain drawbacks to the excess or wrong use of the Internet, particularly social media. You might be curious as to what harm using social media might have on a person's life. And the answer is determined by the intended usage as well as the quantity of time spent. It might be concerning if someone opens their phone to discover oneself frequently on Facebook or Instagram. You open your social media app, check through the memes, and save the one you like, look for another, and so on. Your mental and visual health are both impacted.
Moreover, when you start relying on the information provided to you through Instagram, you might start comparing your life to that of Instagram celebrities. You might not even be aware of how much of it is fake and that what appears to be too good to be true actually is. Therefore, it is imperative that you limit your use of social media.
Why not use the internet for more worthwhile purposes if you have access to it rather than constantly browsing through social media? In the sections below, we will be listing down ways you can control your social media usage and use the Internet for better purposes. So keep reading and find out.
Turn Off Your Notifications
Most of the time, despite our best efforts to limit our social media use, we continue to receive notifications, which leads us to give up on our resolution out of curiosity or a fear of missing out on something exciting. Turning off your alerts is the best course of action in this case. Disable notifications on any entertainment-focused apps you use, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr, and others. Only calls, text messages, and alerts from work-related applications should be enabled.
Set a Routine For Your Social Media Usage
Making a routine for yourself is the greatest method to control your addiction to social media. Ask yourself not to use social media for more than half an hour at a time, and monitor it. By pinning the digital well-being status on your home screen, you can keep track of your app activity. Don't use your favorite social media platforms at other times; set out time for them. You may also set this up as a reward scheme. Ask yourself to complete all of the day's critical tasks to earn an hour of social media time later in the day. But no social media before work.
Use an App to Help Yourself
If like most others, you find it difficult to control your social media addiction on your own and just turn off your phone, some cool applications can assist. By controlling your usage time, these applications can help you break your social media addiction. These are some of the apps:
- Stay on Task (Android)
- App Detox (Android)
- Flipd (iOS, Android)
- Moment (iOS)
- Offtime (iOS, Android)
Give yourself time to get used to using less social media
Even if you are taking all the essential precautions to manage your social media addiction, you could first feel quite uneasy while controlling the urge. Be at ease. It is typical of all addiction treatments. You must allow yourself the time and realize that using social media less often will make you uncomfortable, at least at the start of your discipline journey. Give yourself the time and maintain the discipline since it typically takes 21 days for a habit to form.
Find Better Stuff to do Online
Instead of spending all of your online time on social media, there are many other things to do. You may watch something educational, listen to some enjoyable music or a podcast, produce and publish stuff online and even start making money using your expertise. You can even attend a course in an area of interest. By finding a better and a much more interesting thing to do online, you can curb your social media addiction while also finding a useful alternative.
To Conclude,
The Internet is an amazing technology with several benefits. However, like everything else, excessive internet use may be dangerous. Especially on social media, where in addition to the good content, there is a lot of toxic stuff. You can manage your social media addiction and make sensible use of your online time by following the tips we've provided above. So, apply these tips and have some discipline in your life.