All of this is fine in and of itself. After all, radio and television were equally disruptive in their early days. And we all turned out fine. But there is a down-side.
As our lives become increasingly engulfed by Facebook groups and Twitter pages, we can lose sight of reality. In fact, heavy social media usage has been linked to depression; resulting from participants feeling unpopular or unsuccessful due to the posts they see on-line.
More than that, feelings of isolation can occur as people look to the internet for the validation and close relationships that would normally come from family members and co-workers.
As a result, we must be very careful in how we use these technologies; ensuring that they become a tool for our benefit, and not our reason for existence. Mindfulness can help us do this by revealing our motivations for posting on-line and helping us see when thing things are getting out of hand.
The following guidelines are methods that I use in my personal life to mindfully use social media.
Log-Out When You’re Finished
Many social networking sites use cookies in order to track our usage. This allows them to show us ads that they think we’ll like and change our timeline in ways they we’ll probably enjoy. For example, someone who watches lots of cat videos on YouTube will see recommendations for other cat videos.Additionally, cookies make it, so we don’t have to log-in every time we want to visit a site. In fact, if we use them regularly from the same devices, some social networking sites will allow users to go weeks or even months without verifying their password.
Of course, this is very convenient. But it causes us to be extremely mindless in our usage. If we don’t need to log in or out of a site, then we never have to question why we’re using it. Instead, we just open it up whenever we have a free moment, turning our back on the real world in favor of the virtual one. In order to counteract this, we must log-out of social networking sites as soon as we’re done browsing. The extra time it takes for us to log back in later will give us a necessary pause, so that we can investigate why we want to use the site.
Ask Yourself “Why”
Before we log-in to a social networking site, it’s important to investigate the feelings that have brought us there. Do we have a specific task that we’re trying to accomplish like sending out a birthday invite, or are we trying to escape feelings of insecurity or boredom? If our answer leans more toward the latter, it may be helpful to simply sit with those emotions and allow ourselves to process them without distraction.Also, we must investigate our feelings prior to posting something on the internet; asking ourselves why we’re doing it. For example, if we’re feeling angry, our first inclination may be to post a hurtful message. However, anger is listed as one of the three poisons for a reason. And any post that’s rooted in anger is guaranteed to cause suffering for ourselves and others.
If we find that our post is rooted in greed, anger, or ignorance, then it may be a good idea to not post it. Or if the post stems from feelings of sadness or grief, turning to our real-world counterparts (family, friends, therapists, etc.) may be more helpful in terms of working through our pain.
Don’t Get Caught Up in the Illusion
The sutras warn us about the dangers of getting caught up in the phenomenal world, and no where is this more apparent on the internet. Advertisements are designed to stimulate us in just the right ways to make buy. And social media influencers present unrealistic versions of life that tell us that we’re only one diet, vacation, or make-up tutorial from perfection.All of this works to stimulate the mind of desire, which is the root of all suffering. To counteract this, we must engage with social media in the same way that we engage with cartoons. We can watch what people post and enjoy what we’re seeing, but we must be careful to not take any of it seriously.
Get Physical
In terms of communication or life experiences social media should be our last resort. It’s great to look at pictures of a beautiful hiking trail, but it’s better for both our bodies and our spirit if we go out and hike the trail ourselves.Similarly, there’s nothing wrong with speaking to friends and loved ones via social media. But embodied communication is much better. That is to say, a phone call is much better than a text message or wall post. And an in-person visit is even better than that.
Sure, posting pictures of our vacation on-line is a good way to get the word out. But inviting our friends over so that we can share them in-person allows for a more embodied experience and leads to stronger relationships. When it comes to communication, the more physical we can get, the better.
Social media is here to stay whether we like it, or not. And while some people have been successful in simply unplugging from this medium, many of us have job requirements and social pressures that require us to be on-line. As a result, we must work hard to find ways to mindful and not mindless in how we use these mediums.
If we force ourselves to log out after each session, investigate our feelings as we browse our timelines, and remember to interact with the world in a physical way, then social media can be a tool that enriches our lives.
Namu Amida Butsu
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