Why spending hours on social media is sabotaging your mental health
Everyone knows that excess usage of social media is harmful, but what if your job is managing social media? I was tasked with managing this organisation’s Instagram community. The responsibilities included responding and reaching out to various accounts, monitoring performance metrics and figuring out ways to boost the follower count. For the first two weeks, I was on the app on average five hours a day and oh boy, my mental health took a major hit.
When I first started, I would be on Instagram for two hours straight, only to realise multiple times that I got mentally drained due to my brain taking in the vast amount of information on the app. I would be so tired after, even for the rest of the day. The repetitive actions of scrolling through thousands of posts and deciding the quality of content in half a second, and swiping profiles after profiles resulted in a mental burnout extremely quickly if I was not careful in taking breaks.
This personal experience of mine was relevant to many of us addicted to social media in this Covid pandemic, where these platforms are the few means of connecting with others due to social distancing. It also forced me to come up with ways to better manage myself to prevent digital drain.
How social media affects your brain
Ever wondered why you feel so tired after scrolling through Instagram or TikTok for hours non-stop? Yeap, it is a phenomenon termed ‘digital burnout’- a specific type of burnout that is triggered by the prolonged and excessive use of digital devices. Feelings of exhaustion, anxiety or depression may arise as a result of too much time on digital devices. Physical signs include sleep disorders and decreased energy. Much like another technological compulsion, ‘social media addiction’, Professor of Behaviour Addiction Mark Griffiths from Nottingham Trent University mentioned that these come with behavioural signals such as mood changes and social withdrawal.
Social media algorithms are designed to be mood reinforcing, where your content feed is based on what you viewed or responded previously, creating ‘filter bubbles’. This is most prominent in TikTok, a social media app that Literally. Drugs. You. Into. Scrolling. Video. After. Video. Much research on its addictive quality and monetary success has been done by psychologists and analysts. A Forbes article cited Professor Julie Albright from USC in an interview- explaining how the algorithm creates dopamine hits in our brains the moment we notice an interesting video, hence pushing us to keep scrolling. To make things worse, the algorithm then creates ‘filter bubbles’ by keeping track of those videos that interest you, and continuing to fill up your feed with similar ones.
How does this lead to mood? Have you ever wondered why your Instagram discovery page occasionally fills up with quotes after a heartbreak or it becomes a page full of hilarious memes during exam periods? This is mood reinforcement at work! In order to increase users’ time spent on the app, social media algorithms are designed to reinforce content that users regularly view. This also means that any negative content is reinforced by more negative content, pulling you into a dark digital abyss of sadness if you are not careful with the content you consume when feeling down. Studies show that emotional states are involuntarily transmitted through videos, photos, and posts in a fashion known as emotional contagion.
How to build a healthy relationship with social media
Funny enough, in my opinion, your relationship with social media is slightly similar to your personal relationships. You can enjoy the content fed to you by algorithms but need to be mindful of breaks, keeping distance, and drawing boundaries when necessary. Below are ways I came up with to use the platform in a safe and more productive manner:
Use social media in intervals- not over long periods of time. For example, ten minutes of every one-hour interval. This is particularly helpful when I was managing this organisation’s Instagram, where using the social media platform in short bursts over the day does wonders for my brain as compared to drowning and overstimulation due to excess usage.
Take digital breaks. Leave your chair, your room and move around. Running errands such as buying meals or doing household chores can give your eyes and mind a break. I cannot stress this enough- with many of us working from home due to the Covid pandemic, digital burnouts among employees are on the rise due to too much screen time. Allowing yourself to reconnect with mother nature, for example, can bring you a breath of fresh air and immensely improves your mental health.
Set time slots where you do not touch your phone and do not respond to notifications after work or during breaks. I am sure many of you have encountered this situation before- you take a lunch break but somehow end up watching your favourite drama. However, because you are using the same digital device as the one you also do your work on, notifications and emails from colleagues continue to demand your attention. In the end, you find yourself responding to work emails during break times. This is not a proper break. You are just working and eating, which does not do any good for your mental health. Therefore, muting all notifications or even switching off your digital devices during non-working hours are crucial. This allows your brain to truly rest, and go from ‘work’ mode to ‘rest’ mode.
Set usage limits on certain apps and monitor screen time. These steps allow you to keep track of your social media habits and improve them gradually.
This experience honestly made me realise how difficult and draining a job that involves managing social media can be. Without drawing boundaries, one can easily feel overwhelmed and burnt out. Studies have shown that individuals who report excessive social media use are more likely to experience social withdrawal and show signs of depression. Therefore, it is so important to be mindful of your social media habits!
References:
https://lernercenter.syr.edu/2019/10/08/there-are-costs-from-spending-too-much-time-on-social-media/
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180118-how-much-is-too-much-time-on-social-media
https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/power-down-4-ways-fight-digital-burnout