Is Social Media Kidnapping Your Attention?

One of the most dangerous addictions of the 21st century is our society's addiction to social media.

Here's what two authors have to say about this serious disease:

“With the rise of social media empires and their spooky digital algorithms, these powerful forces now have direct access to our flows of consciousness every time we slide our thumbs across our phones. What we are led to believe are just ads, news links, retweets and random digital flotsam are, in reality, mass behavior modification techniques intentionally designed to influence how we think, feel, believe, shop, vote, and live. To quote the tech philosopher James Lanier, “What might once have been called advertising must now be understood as continuous behavior modification on a titanic scale.” The “world” is forming us, constantly.” – Practicing The Way: Be Like Jesus. Become like him. Do as he did. - John Mark Comer (https://www.amazon.com/Practicing-Way-Jesus-Become-like/dp/0593193822/ref)

“The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops we’ve created are destroying how society works. No civil discourse, no cooperation; misinformation, mistruth. And it’s not an American problem-this is not about Russian ads. This is a global problem. I feel tremendous guilt. I think we all knew in the back of our minds-even though we feigned this whole line of, like, there probably aren’t any bad unintended consequences. I think in the back, deep, deep recesses of, we kind of knew something bad could happen. So, we are in a really bad state of affairs right now, in my opinion. It is eroding the core foundation of how people behave by and between each other. And I don’t have a good solution. My solution is I just don’t use these tools anymore. I haven’t for years.” – Chamath Palihapitiya, Former Vice President of User Growth, Facebook - Excerpt from: Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now, Jaron Lanier (https://www.amazon.com/Arguments-Deleting-Social-Media-Accounts/dp/1250239087/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0)

If you're struggling with this addiction, here are some disciplines that can help you gain some balance:

Professional Life:

? If you are the leader of a Team, establish office email guidelines/rules for your members.

? If possible, discipline yourself at the office to check e-mails at 10 am, 2 pm and 4 pm – this will keep e-mail from becoming e-jail. To avoid the psychological distraction, mute the “ding” e-mail reminder.

? Choose water cooler discussions over e-mail, especially with those who work in your department!

? Establish a “digital free meeting” policy (no smart phones, tablets, or computers). This shows consideration for others and will improve productivity. People will be truly present, which is a rarity in today’s “connected” world.

? Don’t send e-mails when you are tired or angry. Once you hit “send”, it’s too late!

? Take a 10-15 minute “screen break” every 60-90 minutes. During that time, seek a quiet place where you can mentally refresh or take a walk.

? For sensitive matters, don’t use e-mail. These situations need to be discussed person-to-person or via the telephone.

? To show consideration to others, don’t send late-hour e-mails. Example: don’t send e-mails after 6 pm.

? Establish time boundaries. Examples: once home, don’t check e-mails after 6 pm; in mornings, don’t check e-mails until you arrive at the office. If you must check e-mails in the morning, do so after breakfast with family, workout, etc.

? Discipline yourself to cue your weekend e-mails for distribution on the following Monday.

Personal Life:

? Weekend Digital Sabbath. If unplugging for an entire weekend causes withdrawal, pick Saturday or Sunday to unplug.

? Establish a “device free” family meal policy.

? While attending family events (children’s athletic events, recitals, birthdays, family dinners, movies, etc.), leave your digital device at home. If that’s asking too much, turn them off (vibrate mode is not an option!) and keep them out of sight.

? If you must be connected on vacations, be disciplined. Example: check e-mails early morning (not during family breakfasts), after lunch and late afternoon.

? On flights, avoid the temptation to connect to inflight “WiFi”. Use that time to rest, read a book, listen to music, write a hand-written note to someone special in your life, get to know your neighbor, etc.

? Discipline your social media time to no more than 10-15 minutes per day.

? Start the morning off by journaling or reading a hard-copy newspaper at home or at your favorite coffee shop. As William Powers states in his book, Hamlet’s Blackberry: Building a Good life in the Digital Age, “it’s a disconnected medium that takes you out of the digital swirl into a calmer, more patient mental space.”

“Technology makes the world feel smaller than it really is. There are all kinds of rooms in all kinds of places. Every space is what you make it. But in the end, building a good life isn’t about where you are. It’s about how you decide to think and live. Place your index finger on your temple and tap twice. It’s all in there.” – William Powers, Hamlet’s Blackberry