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Are you addicted to social media and gaming? Are you spending hours and hours on scrolling through video clips and photos on social media apps, only to feel guilty at the end of it, worrying about lost time? Here are some solutions We cannot escape social media and endless scrolling of photos and videos on our smartphones, once we are introduced to the practice. Same is the case with games on mobile phones or consoles. But have you ever wondered why we are so deeply into these technology-driven addictions? Is there a way out, taking control of our time and being mindful and purposeful of our use of technology? A new book, Managing Your Gaming and Social Media Habits: From Science to Solutions by Catherine Knibbs, offers some tips to get out of social media addiction. “When we engage with social media or gaming, we disconnect from our bodies and being present, and spend that time interacting with the media for what can seem like hours. This is one of the reasons why we get ‘caught up’ in the scrolling,” Knibbs was quoted as saying in a release. Watch: Are you scrolling phone and is it adding to your stress? Then you are 'doomscrolling' Her book seeks to make us aware of why we use technology the way we do, and how we can recognise when interventions are needed to help master our technology use. Changing the addictive behaviours around technology could improve our mental health, productivity as well as sleep habits and diet. This, according to the author, is because of a combination of factors: our need to belong, feel loved and cared for, and the way technology companies design products to address these. “For some people social media and gaming offer a lifesaving space. Games provide a space for people to connect, and to combat other feelings that exist in their lives such as loneliness, anxiety, depression,” said Knibbs, a psychotherapist who specialises in cybertrauma and online harms. Also read: Doomscrolling can cause health issues, says study She said people told her how their online communities make them feel like they are with people who understand them, see them and have the same interests. "This can help them when they feel alone and in need of support.” The book, part of the new Ask The Experts in Psychology series in partnership with the British Psychological Society, says the first step is to understand the tricks that technology companies use to get you addicted to their apps and devices. They "create products that deliberately tap into our innermost desires and needs so as to keep our attention on those products,” she says. And those needs are: the desire to be recognised, seen, valued, loved and needed, and the fear of missing out or FOMO. Also read: 'Abrosexuality' receives a push on social media. What is it? Avoidance of rejection and abandonment is at the core of what we do daily, especially on social media. “We are born ready to socialise and in doing so we have a primary need to get others to take care of us to prevent us from being rejected, abandoned, and causing us to die,” says Knibbs. Then there's the desire for novelty, excitement and reward. The apps send out a constant stream of prompts, pings and pushes, nudges, and rewards, to appeal to this aspect of our minds. 1. Start writing a diary of your technology use 2. Think critically about the situations in which you use it 3. As the question: What needs am I trying to meet when I reach for my smartphone? 4. Notice how the first use of social media of the week happened: what you did, where you were and at what time you first noticed "the urge to open the phone, laptop, computer, console etc" 5. Find out if your technology use is helpful and purposeful or not. Are you using this "in a minduful and puruposeful way", so that you can feel more in control? 6. Notice the kinds of things that you seek out online, engage with, scroll past, or hover on 7. Turn the background colours on your devices to black and white 8. Remove notifications from the apps or home screen 9. Instal time blockers that tell you when you have spent a certain amount of time online. 10. Do meditation and other mindfulness practices The eventual goal, says Knibbs, is "to reach a state where you can engage with technology more intentionally, when you have the capacity to do so.” (With inputs from agencies) Vinod Janardhanan is the digital content lead of this website. His life is more interesting inside his head, where sparks on global politics, entertainment, music, a None
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