Why is it never enough for us to enjoy a moment without sharing or posting it on social media? Is it because we truly want to share those moments with others or we just want to brag about our lives? Sharing has become an addiction that most people can’t refrain from. I am not advocating for people to stop sharing but just to be mindful of the act.
4 Ways to control your social media hype
1. Resist the urge to share
Every time you feel the urge to share, ask yourself deeply what your motive is. We can enjoy happiness without having to show it off to others.
2. Ask yourself about your motive
Is it out of good intentions? Is it out of being good-heartedness that you want others to be able to enjoy it too? Or we just want to look good or better in the eyes of others? But is it necessary? Sometimes it’s just out of excitement but really after the excitement has waned away, we even feel that it wasn’t necessary. No wonder why we delete certain posts and comments. Before you post, ask yourself, does the world need to know this?
3. Ask yourself about the impact of your post
Is it helpful? Is it going to mislead people? Is it going to provoke people? For example, I have seen posts that say, all women are sluts or all men are dogs. If that is what you want to post about, do you ever ask yourself of the intention? Even though sometimes a good-intended post can be taken otherwise by some people but it is worth contemplating what effect your post is going to have on others.
4. Check if you are in the right state of mind
Do not post if you are overexcited or in a bad mood, it may come back to bite you when you are in a stable state of mind. Most of the time when frustrated we take it to social media but when that frustration goes away, we regret our words.
Social media is a great tool for communicating, networking, and job search among others but if you don’t device a clear plan and strategy for it, you are going to waste a lot of time and it will crash you.
Take control
Even if you work online, you need to be able to set limits for your social media interaction. Plan your tasks and know exactly why you are getting on to social media. Do not open unnecessary tabs and once you are done working on something, close the page or tab. Block sites that you do not want to use to avoid unnecessary distractions and also avoid random browsing.
If you find that you are totally not copying to keep away from social media maybe you need to delete the social media apps on your phone and stick to using your computer. But if you just want to reduce, maybe you need to turn off notifications or put your phone away when you are trying to work.
I see some people put the phone face down when working and it works for them but for most, the sight of their phone, just triggers the need to grab it and check their social media accounts. Turn your phone off at night or put it on silent. If you want to use it for an alarm, how about getting an alarm clock?
When used in moderation social media can be a great tool. It can truly enhance the quality of one’s life. However, when abused, when people place too much faith and importance in their social accounts, there can be real and serious consequences. We become slaves of technology.
If social media was mastering you, start taking steps today to fight and regain control over yourself. We are already half-way into the year, how many things have social media deprived you of doing?
I would love to hear from you regarding how you manage this social media addiction so please, leave a comment for me below, and if you found this useful, kindly subscribe and share it with others.
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