The Evils of Social Media and Phone Addiction in a Digital Driven World
According to a March 2024 study by Comparitech, Americans spend an average of 3 hours and 39 minutes daily on their cell phones, with 2 hours and 18 minutes spent on social media. Needless to say, social media is a huge part of our daily lives.
Social media allows us to keep up with current events, inform us about our competitors, connect with other parts of the world, and interact directly with people we otherwise may never have met. For small business owners, social media is even more critical because it provides a FREE avenue for marketing, giving exposure to our businesses, and connecting with our ideal audience. The ability to do it all from our handheld devices makes things even easier, providing accessibility at all hours and anywhere.
But while cell phones are important for staying connected and allowing us to do business "on the go," it is also easy to become addicted to checking our phones and end up mindlessly scrolling through social media for hours on end. This can also negatively affect our sleep patterns, affect our mental health, and distract us from the more important things, such as connecting with others face-to-face.
So, how exactly does one properly balance phone and social media time on their devices without the risk of addiction and disconnection?
Below are a few ways you can manage the evils of social media and phone addiction in a digitally driven world:
Set boundaries.
How many times have you picked up your phone during the work day to do one thing, and before you know it, minutes or sometimes even hours have passed? It isn't difficult, especially considering how many distractions are waiting for us. However, setting firm boundaries around when and where you use your phone to log on to social media can help prevent losing yourself in the mindless scroll.
I like to designate certain hours per day to check my cell phone and stick to only those hours. I also set boundaries around the type of content I allow myself to consume during those times, which I talk more about in my blog post, 7 Ways to Make Sure Your Small Business Social Media Has a Positive Mental Effect.
Be intentional.
Once you decide when and where you will use your device and check social media accounts, it is also important to establish your "why." Why are you logging on? What are you hoping to get out of that time? Is it to catch up on emails or respond to messages on your social media accounts? Is it to network with others or catch up on what others are up to?
Before logging on, think about your short- and long-term goals and determine which specific tasks on your phone and your social media networks will help you achieve those goals. It also doesn't hurt to evaluate the apps that you have installed on your phone and remove those that do not directly help you reach your business or personal goals (or, at the very least, set limits to how much time you will allow yourself to use those apps, as mentioned in the point above).
Turn off phone notifications.
I don't know about you, but when I hear my phone "ding" or see my screen light up with a notification, I must check it. It's like seeing lights go off on your car's dashboard: Once you see it light up, it's impossible to ignore!
Unfortunately, these notifications can be a huge distraction throughout the day. Checking those notifications only takes a couple of minutes, but those minutes add up, taking away from time that could be spent on more productive business activities.
Download digital apps.
Last but not least, balancing apps such as Freedom is extremely helpful in breaking the addiction and allowing you to focus on what's important. By blocking users from opening certain websites, apps, or the internet, they can eliminate bad habits and distractions, focus on productivity, and create new habits around how they use their cell phones and social media daily.
I use the Freedom app daily to keep me focused on my business between certain hours, and it has done wonders. I now find myself much more productive, clear-headed, and less dependent on my phone for every little thing.
Leave your phone in a different room.
Just because your phone is "mobile" doesn't mean it has to be next to you 24-7! Unfortunately, we've been so conditioned to keep our cell phones within eye's reach everywhere we go (even to the bathroom)! However, I have found that when I intentionally leave my cell phone out of my reach and in another room, the urge to constantly pick it up and check it disappears.
Consider leaving your cell phone in your office during your next staff meeting or when out on your storefront. If you work from home, consider leaving it in another room while you work at your desk. You'll find that without the temptation or distraction of having your cell phone at your side, you can give your full attention to what is right in front of you, such as your valued customers and clients!
Prioritize off-screen time.
Just as you prioritize the time you spend on-screen to conduct your social media and online business activities, prioritizing the time spent off-screen can help manage social media and phone dependence. Spending time outdoors, finding and participating in a new hobby, reading a book, and attending in-person networking events to connect with others are just a few ways to disconnect from your device and reconnect with the real world again.
If you are struggling with balancing or establishing boundaries on your cell phone or social media accounts, contact me today for a complimentary 30-minute chat to discuss the possible solutions.
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