I’ve been doing some reading, and I think I’ve been finding a few things out.
If you find it REALLY hard to do anything except scroll endlessly through the internet after work, that’s not your fault.
This is a sociological phenomenon that a lot of people are experiencing, because of major societal shifts, the way human nature is, and, of course, some decisions by some major corporations.
Unfortunately, even though it’s not your fault and it’s completely wrong to shame or berate yourself for it (or for anyone else to shame or berate you), this IS going to affect you badly.
If it is AT ALL POSSIBLE, it would benefit you to look at screens less when you aren’t at school/work.
Some small first steps that might help with cutting down on screentime:
Turn off endless scrolling on any social media sites or apps you use where you can change that
Try to avoid social media sites where endless scrolling is a thing, or places like TikTok where you see one video at a time and swipe for the next one
If you have ADHD or any kind of demand avoidance, consider trying this: When you want to stop but can’t, tell yourself that you’re going to stop after 20 more videos/posts/pictures/whatever. Then spend time dwelling on each of them, especially if they’re long. Ideally before you get to #20 you’ll be kind of sick of this and want to quit. After #20, let yourself put the app/website/machine aside.
Try installing some kind of text-to-speech reader and listen to your social media feed instead of reading it. For some people, the voice reads slowly or awkwardly enough that your mind wanders while listening. It also just helps your eyes to not be staring at a screen. Even if you’re consuming the same content, at least your eyes can rest.
I hope this helps at least some people. If the suggestions are bad for you, feel free to ignore them and come up with ones that actually work for you.
More information on some of the sociological aspects below the cut
There are some factors that (intentionally or otherwise) get a lot of people to this point. It’s unfortunate that they’re happening, but honestly I have no idea what anyone can do about them.
Pressures around conformity
Daydreaming
Kids and adults are frequently shamed or punished for having their minds wander, and ‘daydreaming’ is considered useless and a bad habit to correct; the correction stifles creativity
Individual creativity is a good alternative to messing around on social media; without it, certain subsets of people often can’t immediately think of something they can do that isn’t screentime
“Adult” interests
People past a certain age are expected to give up things they’re enthusiastic about, with some exceptions deemed “socially acceptable” (sports, alcohol, sex) (primarily things that men stereotypically enjoy), in favor of focusing on work and their careers
I’ve literally seen grown men in their thirties calling themselves “children at heart” because they like to play video games
There is nothing wrong with being a “child at heart”, but that’s literally not even a childish interest; that’s just a hobby. They are calling themselves “immature” for having a hobby.
If the only interests adults are allowed to have are sports, alcohol, sex, and work, then it’s no wonder that many of them can’t find alternatives to social media - they aren’t allowed to do anything else fun.
Like not having creative pursuits, not having hobbies you’re enthusiastic about means you end up spending a lot of time talking to people on the internet
You can’t just cut down on internet use without having something fun to replace that. Even if you don’t have adhd, you probably still don’t enjoy doing nothing and staring at blank walls. You need something you like doing that you can do instead of scrolling.
Profit pressures
Monetizing hobbies
The whole thing where people are expected to only do things if they can make money off of them, and not just strive to be good at creating things
The corollary where if you aren’t good enough at hobbies to monetize them, you shouldn’t be doing them
Yet another way in which people are being left with fewer socially acceptable alternatives to social media
Productivity in the workplace
There’s some kind of taboo against working fewer than 32 hours a week, and also U.S. companies’ drives to maximize profit means employees are expected to devote as much of their time and energy as they can to work
Doing the minimum required is called “quiet quitting”, which is so wrong that I don’t even have words for how wrong it is
If you are a full-time student or work a full-time job, you are probably VERY tired by the time you’re done
Human nature
If you’re tired, it’s VERY hard to do something you’re not used to
It’s also hard to break out of any habits
If you’ve been spending time on the internet pretty regularly, your tired brain of ten autopilots and gets you there by default
New things require a certain level of executive function to kick off, even if they don’t involve stepping away from a well-worn groove
If you haven’t done them in a while, you’re not sure what to expect, and that unknown feels intimidating, which makes it even harder to start
All else being equal, people will gravitate to the most familiar, easy thing they can
Social media is designed to be very easy, natural, familiar, and intuitive
UI/UX design in social media
There’ve been posts circulating about how places like TikTok deliberately try to get you addicted
Twitter’s character limit is also kind of deliberate: Ideas need to be communicated in short, pithy statements. This gets everyone used to consuming content in tiny bites, which gets them out of the habit of diving deeply into any topic, and also suggests that conversation/discourse is all conducted in short, pithy statements, creating the illusion that there’s nothing to know beyond what can be stated very quickly.
Social media in general seems to be designed so that information can be transmitted instantly, and reactions to that information happen/appear instantaneously, creating pressure for everyone to react to things immediately, without stopping to think about or fact-check anything.
Publicized follower counts create some implicit pressures to become more “popular” on a social media site, and receiving followers can grant bursts of dopamine, making people more likely to stay on the site and produce more content to get those followers
I’ll stop slagging on twitter one day, but today is not that day - the fact that older content gets minimal interaction, and that interacting with “old” tweets seems to be some kind of faux-pas, creates an ephemeral space with no long-term memory, and no time or space to breathe, reflect, or add to a body of knowledge.
All of this contributes to make people most comfortable in fast-paced social media, and less accustomed to (and therefore less comfortable with) doing things like reading a scientific research paper, reading a book on a topic and reading the footnotes, or doing research until you find a primary source to verify every claim you see. It’s not any one person’s fault. And no one is immune to this, no matter how smart they are. It’s a trend that’s impacting everyone, and it’s hard to see how we can reverse the backslide, since social media is so necessary. Artists, writers, and other creatives need it to self-promote; job-hunters need it to network under our current economic system; people with long-distance friends, datemates, and/or relatives need it to stay in touch; and people who have to stay inside for safety or capability reasons need it to stay connected. But maybe there are ways to make it less... harmful.
This is what we're becoming. I had an old friend contact me, and naturally I was expecting a wholehearted and deep reflection on our lives since we last spoke in middle school. What did I get instead?
Friend: well funny u ask, i got involved with this company called ACN.
have u heard of it??
Me: ACN? Nope.
Friend: its the worlds largest direct seller of essential services
to homes and businesses.
how much do you pay for cellphone a month?
how about internet at home 0 tv??
I find people are slowly losing touch with who they are and their respective identities, and instead associate themselves--and their very character--with their professions.
