Stealing your attention
Have we gone too far distracting each other?
If you’re reading this, I did exactly what I’m writing about. But now that you’re here, I do hope to offer a fresh perspective on our frequency of social media use, and instill better awareness to prevent the hijacking of our minds.
We can choose what we focus on, or let others choose for us
Social media seemed like an effective way to see updates from everyone we are connected with, regardless of where they live. However… How often do we need these interactions? The presence of our phone next to us means that any moment of “inactivity” could be a moment where we are “engaged”. I found myself checking the apps when switching between activities, stopped at a red light, in the bathroom, eating, between exercises at the gym, waiting in line. Is there a moment that doesn’t need to be filled with a quick fix of randomness, often produced by people we are not close with? Are we comfortable sitting with silence in our own head?
The challenge lies that we are dependent on our phones for so much. We want to look up some obscure fact, and next thing we know we see those intriguing notifications. A new request on LinkedIn, someone replied to our post on Twitter. We go into Linkedin to approve the request and then we spend another fifteen minutes scrolling through the content feed. These apps want to hook you in with something (i.e. a new message, looking up someone’s name) so that they can further distract you.
What can we do?
Uninstall the applications we don’t really need. Perhaps using them on our computer can be sufficient
Leave our phone in another room when we are trying to do concentrated work (my phone is currently charging in the kitchen as I write this)
At a minimum, disable notifications as much as we can. And mute Whatsapp groups.
Schedule more of your time. And perhaps scheduling some social media time.
I deleted Facebook and Twitter from my phone the other night, partly because Twitter’s cache had ballooned to 1.5 GB on my device. It felt very cathartic the next morning. The mere removal of those icons and notifications took away my impulse. I still wanted to post something on Twitter today while stuck on the Metromover (Miami’s mass transit), and had to use the mobile web experience. Definitely an added barrier, but at least I used more of my time to listen to an audio book (Breath), instead of scrolling endlessly.
Our contributions…
We are perpetuating a world of constant distraction, sharing pictures, videos, random thoughts. Whether it’s because we legitimately think what we’re sharing is beneficial for others, sharing our joy (or frustration), or merely trying to get noticed, it’s important to recognize that we contribute to the problem. The best posts in my mind are when we are candidly asking the community for an answer or advice.
We do live in a world where many of us need to craft our “personal brand”. I respect that. Many of us are now working independently, starting our own businesses, or helping a small business grow. We occasionally are asked by others to share something. But we should also use this knowledge to be mindful of what we are getting into every time we open up one of these applications.
Why are we competing for each other’s attention? Is it because we really want to? Or has social media gamed us into feeling a certain way when we do what they want us to do? What if we included the reason for sharing something when we posted? For those of us who like to post on social media, perhaps we should ask ourselves if what we are sharing needs to be broadcast, or if we can send it directly to select people who would find it interesting. This will have the added benefit of nurturing a relationship.
Final thoughts…
Social media isn’t inherently bad, if used properly. But it can be addictive for many. If you find yourself opening up social media in many moments of inactivity, or when you should be doing something more productive (or relaxing), perhaps it’s time to take action. Remember that our habits not only impact our own health, but we as adults are also models for younger generations.