Don’t scroll the hours away

Since the advent of the internet and social media, our lives have changed dramatically. No doubt, social media has become an integral part of our daily lives. The world has become a closed social group wherein we are all the time connected with each other through apps like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and so on. Physical distance between people has diminished drastically across the globe as we are now more closely connected through such known social media apps and many more unknown ones. All this connectivity, 24x7, looks quite exciting but is it really so? Is such overuse of social media contributing to positive, rewarding and beneficial results in our lives?

In today’s times, if we tend to observe our daily routine closely, then, the first thing that we do in the morning as soon as we open our eyes is frantically search for our mobile phones to check the notifications on social media. This is actually true for a majority of us and it is actually taking a heavy toll on our lives in the long run whether we realise it or not. We have all become tragic victims of our false imagination surrounding social media and living a toxic myth that spending more time on the internet or social media leads to more productivity in our lives.

The social media platforms are designed to function in such a manner that if one does not exercise self-restraint or self-control, these sites make us hooked on to their never-ending content and one keeps on mindlessly scrolling through them and finally ends up wasting one’s precious time, energy and efforts.

Sometimes, a mere 10 minutes on social media gets unconsciously translated into hours and hours of waste of time. Just imagine you are habitually wasting two to four hours on social media every day, then, it becomes 1,460 hours a year, roughly equal to 60 days a year. This time could have been better utilised in a much better manner rather than frittering it away on browsing useless social media posts which do not effectively contribute in any manner towards our growth, progress or prosperity in the long run. Digital detoxification is the need of the hour. Rather than connecting so much with the outside world, it would be beneficial to take a much needed break from social media and connect with our real inner-selves.

It’s time to debate, discuss and discover better ways to judiciously use the internet and social media so that it does not become an unwanted bane of our life.

Here are some effective ways which can help you in the short term as well as long run to effectively improve your relationship with technology in a way that spending time on social media and internet becomes productive and not destructive in nature.

Learn to wisely audit your time spent on the internet and social media every day. Observe your habits and routine carefully. Try to use a time tracker device and then introspect the number of hours you are regularly sitting in front of a computer screen or your mobile phones or tablets in a week. Disconnect from the social media sources which are not giving any valuable information but consuming your mental energy and interfering with your originality of thought and creativity. Maximise your efficiency. Everybody in this world has 24 hours a day. Do not waste your precious time; it can be disconcerting later on in life.

Using the internet wisely can help you improve your attention and concentration levels in life as well as leading a better healthy lifestyle with increased sleep duration. Internet addiction has a very negative impact on one’s anxiety, stress and depression levels. Spending too much time on social media actually hacks the reward system in our brain and distracts us from engaging in real productive activities like exercising, working, socialising and so on. To prevent yourself from killing your time on social media, it is helpful to inculcate the habit of scheduling one’s time spent on the internet. Rather than going online whenever we are ‘free’, it would be prudent to fix a particular time slot in your daily routine to log in and surf the world of internet. It has been noticed that many people browse the internet or social media out of boredom at work or home. It is advisable to develop a creative hobby or take breaks from work to take a little stroll in the garden or read a newspaper rather than mindlessly clicking on You Tube links. Wise people often schedule their mealtimes, workouts, travel plans etc. So, why not schedule one’s time on the internet too? It certainly requires will-power and determination but can pay big dividends and help one avoid unwanted distractions. Try spending the saved time with your loved ones instead in real life. Prioritise your time spent on the internet and stop scrolling through someone else’s vacation pictures which is of no real value to you. Focus on real priorities of your life.

Spending less time online can also help you overcome your weight gain issues, backaches, neck-pain, headaches and blurred vision problems. Overuse of the internet also leads to many psychological issues like anxiety or sleep disorders. Recently, internet addiction has attracted the attention of psychologists and psychiatrists. So, in case, despite putting in your best efforts, if you still feel you are not able to control your addiction to the internet, then it is better to consult professional help in dealing with the issue at hand.

No doubt, the internet has been instrumental in making human lives better, but it has negative implications too. If we want to reap the benefits of the internet and social media, it is really imperative to use them wisely. Be real and remember that offline world is more lively and exciting than the offline one. Internet and social media can be your friend or foe depending on how you tend to use it.

(The writer is the Superintendent of Police (SP), Punjab and the author of book, New India - The Reality Reloaded)