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Taking a break from social media makes you happier and less anxious

calnewport.com

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Re: Taking a break from social media makes you happier and less anxious

#141

Post by impjohn »

I've been away from facebook and instagram for about 4 years. Never caught the tik-tok or snapchat train, so the only consumption i do is light reddit and hackernews. The weirdest thing for others is that I can sit indefinitely without having to look at my phone and actually get lost in thoughts or even get bored.

The downside is that it can isolate you. Where I live, if you're not on instagram you don't exist. My girlfriend is more up to date with what my colleagues are up to, even though I spent 8 hours a day with them in the same office.

Re: Taking a break from social media makes you happier and less anxious

#142

Post by FrozenVoid »

unixhero wrote: post #67

Does Reddit and Hacker News count?

Easy way to discern if site is social Cookie Clicker: 1.Does it provide a rating/score for content. 2.Does it reward users with larger rating/score? 3.Does it limit users with lower rating/score? If all three question are positive, then it is optimizing for content-score engagement type of users, pushing the lever for extra dopamine hits.

Re: Taking a break from social media makes you happier and less anxious

#143

Post by nopinsight »

parasti wrote: post #36

For me, I've found that social media doesn't affect my level of happiness and/or anxiety directly. What it does do, is take up a lot of my time almost imperceptibly - leaving less time for other, more meaningful activities. It makes me feel like I'm running out of time every day, which in turn causes a feeling of anxiety.

Do you/does anyone think this is something you would use?

I'm working on My Productive Homepage, a custom dynamic homepage you can set and customize the exact topics and goals that you care about. It will recommend unseen info/updates on only those things and display info in summary form (with links to sources).

No distracting or trending news unless they are highly relevant to the topics/goals you explicitly choose. We intend to maximize user productivity, rather than engagement.

I believe it can help people stay focused on what really matters to them while getting updates and stimulated, and discover useful info for work or serious hobbies.

(And in work mode, it'd be a homepage you can open without guilt while at work. ;))

What important features would you like to get on such a custom, dynamic homepage?

Comments about the project in general would also be appreciated, eg on how helpful or unhelpful you think the project will be to you or people you know.

Re: Taking a break from social media makes you happier and less anxious

#144

Post by MikePlacid »

> Why do we insist on still shrugging our shoulders and continuing to treat the use of these tools like some sort of unavoidable civic and professional necessity?

I am positively charmed by that “we” above. Time and time again people are telling me their theories about how our world works - and these theories imply that I do not exist. Charming, no?

Re: Taking a break from social media makes you happier and less anxious

#145

Post by noufalibrahim »

I fast from food for a month a year due to religious reasons (from dawn to dusk). During this time,I fast from social media (telegram, twitter mostly).

After about a week, I feel anxious at a superficial level but it levels off and I feel much better about 2 weeks in. After the whole month, when I log into twitter again, I can really feel a mental shift. Almost like being dragged back into it. It's not pleasant. I'm not surprised by these findings.

Re: Taking a break from social media makes you happier and less anxious

#146

Post by digisign »

impjohn wrote: post #141

I've been away from facebook and instagram for about 4 years. Never caught the tik-tok or snapchat train, so the only consumption i do is light reddit and hackernews. The weirdest thing for others is that I can sit indefinitely without having to look at my phone and actually get lost in thoughts or even get bored. The downside is that it can isolate you. Where I live, if you're not on instagram you don't exist. My gi…

I'd say it is better to know a few people well than skim the updates of hundreds.

Re: Taking a break from social media makes you happier and less anxious

#147

Post by WilTimSon »

noufalibrahim wrote: post #145

I fast from food for a month a year due to religious reasons (from dawn to dusk). During this time,I fast from social media (telegram, twitter mostly). After about a week, I feel anxious at a superficial level but it levels off and I feel much better about 2 weeks in. After the whole month, when I log into twitter again, I can really feel a mental shift. Almost like being dragged back into it. It's not pleasant. I'm…

I'm curious, do you also tend to fast from news sources, if you follow any? HN, BBC, stuff like that. Things that aren't social media but might have a similar effect where you get overwhelmed or anxious from the information.

Re: Taking a break from social media makes you happier and less anxious

#148

Post by impjohn »

88913527 wrote: post #100

I took a break from social media for a year; it was excellent. Briefly after my return, I found out an extended family member passed away. Nobody would have told me otherwise. People will assume you're on there and in-the-loop even if you aren't. It's hard to navigate any social environment where that's an implicit given of others.

I have a similar story, but for me it is 4 years and still going. I am generally calmer and my emotional amplitude is less pronounced during the day than when I was on SM, but getting involved socially means you really have to be proactive, otherwise you sort of disappear

Re: Taking a break from social media makes you happier and less anxious

#149

Post by charstacker »

Consider the following scenario: You're pleased and content one minute, thinking your life is going fine the next. You have a few minutes to kill, so you log onto Facebook and begin scrolling...

First, you notice a friend's post stating that she has accepted her ideal job.

Then you read a coworker's too political rant.

You continue browsing and see a video of your neighbour enjoying a fantastic tropical vacation.

And now your cousin has uploaded a before and after photo that makes you want to hide your thighs for the rest of your life.

The next thing you know, you're second-guessing your profession, irritated by politics, wondering why you can't afford a trip, and researching your next diet.

Social media is nothing but roller coaster,

Re: Taking a break from social media makes you happier and less anxious

#150

Post by SCUSKU »

digisign wrote: post #146
impjohn wrote: post #141

I've been away from facebook and instagram for about 4 years. Never caught the tik-tok or snapchat train, so the only consumption i do is light reddit and hackernews. The weirdest thing for others is that I can sit indefinitely without having to look at my phone and actually get lost in thoughts or even get bored. The downside is that it can isolate you. Where I live, if you're not on instagram you don't exist. My gi…

I'd say it is better to know a few people well than skim the updates of hundreds.

I would have to agree, I also gave up Instagram/Facebook because I noticed it impacting my mental health.

The only thing I miss is the early days of Facebook when it was just humans being human, and posting pictures of them being silly or with their family instead of flexing about newly acquired money/status, etc. But maybe that's just me remembering with rose tinted glasses.

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