Great Friend, Cruel Master

Let’s cut straight to it. Many of us secretly wish we could spend less time on social media. It’s the realm where everything’s happening and yet nothing is really happening. I won’t bore you with a discussion on the pros and cons, nor will I tell you what you should think when it comes to technology and how to use it. However, I would like you to consider how much of your time on social media is essential and productive versus habitual and thankless. I’d also invite you to notice whether your conscious mind is directing your actions online (scrolling, liking, consuming) or whether the pseudo-consciousness of the algorithms behind these apps is directing you.

With the amount of data being collected by companies in the business of human-centred design, we are in the midst of perhaps the biggest ever human psychosocial case study. Instagram or Facebook, play an interesting ball-game, somewhat bending the rules of reality. These apps know a lot about your individual behaviour and attention patterns. The “social” element of social media may not go as deep qualitatively as an in-person interaction, but that doesn’t mean the apps aren’t affecting you internally. An algorithm is as potent as its ability to capitalise upon human group dynamics and affect the learning and reward centres in the brain. Put simply, it’s profitable and useful to have a system which knows its users well enough to get them to come back for more. If an app can train you to check in regularly enough, it essentially has a hold on you hormonally and psychologically. 

I believe that you should be the one in control. These mechanistic platforms should be a reflection of your world, and you are an organism - a complex and fantastic one at that, whose value is far greater than any measure, notation, representation or “insight”. You have a responsibility to use social media consciously and in accordance with your authentic innermost values. If that means taking time away to let the noise subside and find those values, then so be it. Trust your individual human intentions and motivations as valuable, without appealing to the authority of popularity and culture. 

We need to match the sophistication of our tools so that we can use them for our own betterment and not be swept away in the current of forces we don’t quite understand. We must use our discretionary power. Do not be trained by the paternalistic algorithms and social trends but instead be paternalistic in helping to shape them for the better. Create the world in which you can express as your gut tells you to, rather than filtering your uniqueness through an artificial and inadequate set of data points. Be real and express because you want to, not because you feel you must keep up appearances. 

Remember the richness of the organic world. The starting point is simple. Here’s a mindfulness exercise that may help you shed light on your relationship with your phone. You could apply this exercise to many things…

Notice how you feel as you are about to check your phone. Notice how you feel while you’re checking your phone. Notice how you feel after checking your phone. Notice whether this whole process comes from an intentional and aware mental state or whether it is simply a habit which distracts you from somewhere you would rather not be or something you would rather not feel. Did you have something pressing to do on your phone that couldn’t wait for a dedicated “phone time” appointment? What might you enjoy a little more in the present moment by bringing your attention towards the body or surroundings rather than the screen? 

If you don’t feel great about tech or social media, don’t hold it against the technology - just create some boundaries and intentions that work for you. Personally, I feel my attention, focus and energy levels are all improved when I spend less time plugged in. Even better, when I am plugged in, I appreciate just how much I can do with the technology at my fingertips rather than taking it for granted. I look forward to checking in online and talking to some friends but I also look forward to getting offline and being the old fashioned way.