The (BIG) Problem with Social Media

Social media has taken over the world over the past two decades, and in a way, it’s almost taken over our lives.

• Facebook

• Twitter (X)

• Instagram

• TikTok

• Snapchat

Even new ones like BeReal come along every now and then and spark a new trend, which typically fades after a while.

But, with something still so new, there are problems.

Problems which a lot of people don’t see or feel, but they’re there.

Me? I’m not on social media for personal use. I used to be, but now I’m not.

Why? Simple.

I prefer not being on it. Here are a few reasons why.

Doomscrolling

One memory I’ll never lose was one night on the train home from my old job in early 2022.

The trains were quiet as it was still somewhat in the fallout of COVID, and I was in a group of 6 seats with 1 other person.

I never really went on my phone during my commute.

I listened to music, and stare out the window. Perfect.

But in the reflection of the mirror I found myself continuously looking at this woman who’s gaze did not leave her phone (don’t know what apps she was on… must’ve been social media) for a good 20 minutes.

Non-stop. Didn’t come up once for air.

It was almost eerie.

Like she was in a trance, and had been hypnotised by whatever she was watching on her phone.

Short form content nowadays is designed to give you so much satisfaction that you become completely addicted, and can even find it hard to stop consuming.

So much so that you don’t even realise that you’re consuming content, until you snap out of it and realise you’ve just wasted 10 minutes of your life.

These are the main culprits for me:

• TikTok — SF video.

• Instagram — SF video & images.

• Twitter — SF written.

And don’t get me wrong, I’ve been there before.

I’ve been in this “trance” or weird state of hypnotism whilst scrolling TikTok, and then snapped out of it thinking “wtf was that?”

Well, “that” is known as doomscrolling, and it’s one of the reasons why I don’t use social media anymore.

A lot of people waste several hours a day doomscrolling. It’s a modern-day pandemic despite it being something that nobody ever talks about.

For me, this was one of the main reasons I quit social media, and in truth, I’ve never looked back.

Think of what you could accomplish if you put this time towards something even remotely productive?

Creators Vs Consumers

I’ll take Instagram as an example of this one.

When I was at school, Instagram used to be the place where you shared cool or funny pictures with your mates, and be on cloud 9 if you got 10 likes.

Now? Influencers. Everywhere. That’s it.

Either you’re an influencer, or you’re trying to be one.

Social media has become the breeding ground for people to try to become the next social media sensation.

And that… is absolutely fine. Good luck to them.

But the problem? You, the consumer.

The person who doesn’t create content, and spends 100% of their time on social media consuming mind-numbing videos and images.

Here’s why this is a problem.

As humans, we have a subconscious tendency to compare ourselves with others.

When you’re consuming the content of tens, hundreds, or even thousands of online creators each day, you’re comparing yourself to these creators.

You’re subconsciously comparing all aspects of your life, to the best aspects of theirs.

Why only the best aspects? Because that’s all you see on social media.

The result?

• You become unhappy.

• You think you’re falling behind.

• You start questioning the things you’re doing.

• You make terrible (financial) decisions to try to keep up.

All because you’re comparing yourself to the people on your phone screen who are showing you nothing but the best 1% of their lives.

Not good.

There are 3 types of people associated with social media.

• Owners.

• Creators.

• Consumers.

There are 2 big winners, and 1 big loser. Can you work out which is which?

If you like social media, it’s time to use it for what it’s meant for.

Get out of the stands, and onto the field of play.

Social Media Detox

I took the decision shortly after becoming self employed that I was going to delete all my personal social media accounts.

I didn’t have a big presence on them, but I consumed… a lot.

• Snapchat.

• Instagram.

• Twitter.

• TikTok.

All of them… gone.

And it was one of the best things I ever did.

Now I know that deleting your accounts is a big commitment and you’re probably reading this thinking “I’m not doing that”, so that’s why I’m not going to tell you to delete your accounts.

I’m going to tell you to delete the apps.

For a little while at least.

You won’t lose your accounts, but you’ll lose that awful habit of consuming and doomscrolling.

A Social Media Detox.

Zero consumption of content. See what changes there are to your life.

Replace the time with:

• Exercise.

• Starting a business.

• Reading a book.

I won’t make you any promises on the outcome, but you will feel changes, and they will improve your life.

On social media, only the creators win.

So, why not replace your consumption, with creation?

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