I realize that too much social media does nothing but increase my anxiety and take my blood pressure up a few levels. I don’t have Facebook or Tik Tok, and I rarely visit Twitter anymore since it became X.
However, I do spend time trading funny memes with friends on Instagram and “doom scrolling” before I go to bed and even when I wake up. Although I put a daily timer on my usage, I still find myself adding more 15-minute sessions a few times each day.
After reading about the effects of excessive social media on the self confidence of teenagers and how the visual images can exacerbate feelings of fear, isolation, and even depression, I decided to be proactive with limiting my social media usage.
I recently bought a Brick, a small, square device that I tap my phone to and it can lock me out of everything: social media, email, text, games, and other miscellaneous apps. I have only used it thus far to lock me out of social media and games, and I have already felt my productivity and peace of mind increase exponentially.
Essentially, I tap my phone to lock it and tap it once again to unlock it. I find the physical act of going into my room and physically tapping my phone has decreased my random inclination to just pick up my phone and start scrolling through funny cat videos and other posts that might make me chuckle or bring me anxiety as I look at the state of our country and the world.
I am amazed at the number of times I have literally saved someone’s life as they aimlessly walk into the street while on their phone, completely oblivious to the car careening towards them. I am saddened by the number of parents scrolling on their phones while their loved ones do the same and no one is in conversation.
Also, I am constantly telling my students to talk to one another before class begins and not to hide behind their phones. We are all guilty of relying on our phones and seeking escapes where we can find them, but we must begin to ween ourselves away from our reliance on the screens and worlds that detach us from the community we should be building.
Whether you need to take extreme measures and purchase a Brick or just spend a moment to assess how much time you spend on social media and your phone, I implore you to take stock of just how much time you spend staring at your screen and digesting an onslaught of stories and images. Be kind to yourself, and that journey may begin at limiting social media time.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University; author of the books “How to Build a Democracy: From Fannie Lou Hamer and Barbara Jordan to Stacey Abrams” and “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream”; and co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.