Am I an Addict? (Final Thoughts)

I believe my addiction to social media is based on my scheduled routine to check my phone whenever I get the chance. If I am not busy doing something, it is a safe bet I am checking my social media apps to stay in tune with what is going on. What my friends are up to, what I am up to, posting and searching for everyone’s latest news is an addiction to say the least. I feel naked if I ever forget my phone, I get anxious when my battery is at one percent, this is my body going through the withdrawal. Like an addiction, if you take away the thing that I am addicted to, my body will react in such a way. The sweating, the nail biting, the hair twirling, I have now become bored and desperate for my phone and social media. When I don’t have my phone I become all consumed with where it is and why it isn’t in my current possession. I was headed to dinner with my friends after a long practice and I realized halfway to our destination, I forgot my phone! Immediately I panicked and made my friend flip the next available U Turn to head back to campus to retrieve my phone. Rather than waiting an hour, at most, to get my phone back, I had to cut into the quality time with my friends to get my life line back. God forbid if I hadn’t had my phone for a few hours I wouldn’t have survived. This is when you know there is a major problem.

Social media in every sense is just that, social. I stay in touch with the people I care about. I keep everyone up to date on my life and all of it’s adventures. It keeps me in tune with the life around me. I am constantly learning something new on social media. Whether it’s marches all across the world, presidential elections, friends getting engaged, family friends having babies, these are all things that I learn from social media. Social media in my opinion, if used correctly and in moderation can be a good habit. When it becomes everything I think about and do it is unhealthy. Like food, social media is good in moderation. I do not expect myself or anyone around me to go cold turkey on social media. It is a part of society and as the world’s technology advances, so will social media. But slowly learning how to embed social media into our lives without letting it be our life is a good habit to have. We can’t stop the constant evolving of technology and with that social media, but we can control how much we let it consume our lives. There is nothing wrong with picking your phone down and staying in tune with your followers or friends. But there is something wrong when the laundry doesn’t get done or the homework isn’t completed because you have your face buried in your phone all day. A balance is healthy and in order to get this balance we must admit we have a problem and slowly teach ourselves how to depend less on social media. I let my phone die the other day while I was cleaning the apartment and working on my assignments. To my surprise I had the most productive Sunday up to date and completed my tasks in half the usually time. With no social media or phone distractions I was motivated to get everything completed so I could reward myself with some screen time. This on many more occasions will be a step in the right direction.

This blog has brought attention to an issue that I was afraid to admit that I had. I was able to acknowledge my addiction to social media and my phone and address the issue. Like I stated before, cutting social media out of my life is just never going to happen. From the time I was young, technology has grown up with me. I was taught to work a computer before I was taught how to write in cursive. This is a huge shift in generations. To completely cut the use of technology and my social media apps out of my life would be completely changing how I grew up…it is not reasonable. But like I said, finding ways to eliminate my obsession with screen time can help me and everyone else around me make social media and technology a more positive and useful tool. I will start tonight by taking a bath and reading a book. Instead of bringing my laptop and watching my favorite Netflix show I will read and journal. I can become much more in tune with myself and my world around me through these tactics instead of watching Orange is the New Black. Although entertaining, it is not a need in my night, just a want. I am going to be the change, the positive change in social media. It is not dangerous or toxic unless we use it incorrectly. I want to change the way people view social media and find a way to keep it in my life but only in necessary amounts. This journey won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.