The Dark Side of Social Media

Social media have completely changed the world. They've opened up a myriad of possibilities that we couldn't even imagine 30 years ago.

We're now able to:

• connect with anyone all around the world

• get access to a huge amount of information in zero time

• create a living by sharing what are we most passionate about

But social media have also a dark side, a very sneaky one: they distort the way we perceive reality.

I imagine social media like Sword Art Online. For those who don't know it's an anime where the the majority of teenagers around the world get stuck in a video game.

Every time we log in, we're transported into a digital realm that's for it's nature is completely different from out physical world.

At the beginning is fun, possibility are endless and we can be who ever we want to be.

But with time the mind get so used to this fictional reality at the point that starts to think that IS the reality.

Your physical body is here but your mind is still logged in.

We start feeling disconnected from ourselves. We don't understand why but there's something off.

Everyone seems to have great time, they have fun, they travel and they enjoy life. Why am I not feeling the same?

This discomfort bring us to look for easy gratification in the place that caused it at the beginning: social media.

Scroll. Scroll. Like. Scroll. Scroll.

And the cycle begins again.

We spend so much time looking at other peoples lives that we forget to live our own.

We numb ourselves with meaningless videos to avoid the pain of boredom, without realizing we are trading the pursue of our dreams.

We're so addicted to social dynamics that we let our real relationships soften. Just see how many Reels we send our friends rather than asking how they're doing.

Social media can change people lives but only if you have the control.

So here's 3 ways to get in control of social media to use them as a tool to uplift your reality and not letting them become the reality itself.

Cut social media usage by half

When Apple introduced the screen time feature and I saw the amount of time I was spending per day on social media I was shocked. I had an average of 2.5 hours per day with peaks that went up to 4 hours.

Can you imagine? Spending a sixth of my day in front a small screen looking at nothing.

So go to Screen Time section of your phone, look how much time you spent scrolling and strive to cut that number by half.

Right now I have an average of 1 hour per day on social, which is still high, but at least is progress.

To help you with this you can download some social media blocker apps. They work. Personally I use Screen Zen.

Curates what the algo feeds you

Social media can be an awesome source of information and inspiration but also a pile of garbage that clog your mental space.

Be careful of what the algorithm feeds you. If on your feed the only things you see are trash videos, celebrities news and onyfancers: Watson we have a problem.

Reflect about your life's objectives and start consuming content that somehow helps you achieve those objectives.

Ex. If you want to get fit you want to be exposed to fitness or healthy food information as much as you can.

For all the accounts and content that doesn't align with your purposes, tap the 3 dots and than "Not Interested".

Train your social algorithm on what's important for your or let it train you on what's important for society.

Periodically remove accounts the doesn't serve your purpose

When it comes to people you follow less is better. There is no point of following 1000 accounts.

We tend to start following people based on the current interests we have at the moment.

I remember when I wanted to learn how to cook better. I started following plenty of food accounts in attempt to learn as many recipe and cooking secret as possible.

After 3 weeks, I ended up overwhelmed by the discordant information, too many recipes to try and cooking tips that I dropped the matter.

I still wanted to get better so after a while a gave it a second shot but this time I changed the approach.

I only followed a couple of accounts and start trying out their stuff.

Because I was limiting the amount of different recipes, tips, cooking techniques I end up doing way more than before.

So stick only with 3-5 accounts that talk about what you want to get better at. Consume and apply all their content and if you not resonate with them anymore unfollow them.

Usually I do my following clean up when I feel my feed is full of people that doesn't add any value to my life. But it can be a good measure to do it periodically, like every 6 months.

Awareness is key

At the base of every behavior change there is awareness.

Without the conscious realization that social media got you trapped into the digital world, it can't be change.

I hope these post made you think about it.

Jacopo