We live in a society dominated by social media. Almost everyone has some type of social media account now, and these newer apps are only growing in popularity. While the idea of social media isn’t inherently bad, apps like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook are highly addictive. Engineers are working every day to make you spend as much time as possible on their apps. This is a problem.
To go even broader, for decades people have spent an enormous amount of time, consuming entertainment. I think that we do need some entertainment in our lives to reduce stress, and give you new ideas to think about, just not too much of it. Now there are so many mediums of entertainment you can go to if you’re bored. Video games, TV, social media, and more. The problem with social media is that they aren’t selling a product. They are selling your attention to advertisers, so effectively, you are the product. You have to be very careful when your attention is what’s being sold.
I’d like to explain how I see attention with an analogy. Imagine your attention is a ball in the middle of a tug-of-war. On one side, is the social media apps trying to pull your attention away from you and what you really want, and towards inaction. Every minute you waste scrolling down an endless feed is a minute you aren’t working toward your dreams. On the other side is you, your true self, the part of you that knows what you want in life. It’s a big tug-of-war and we’re up against it. I’ve drawn a picture to represent this analogy below. 
I believe anyone can accomplish their biggest dreams if you put in the work. I recently finished reading Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins, a retired Navy SEAL, and in my opinion, he is living proof that anyone can make their dreams come true. He defied the odds in every way possible, he had an abusive father, had to put up with racism all through his childhood, and was overweight most of his life. To give you an example, he had to lose 106 pounds in about 3 months to be eligible for BUD/S training. He managed to do that among many other things that seemed impossible. His example has proven to me that we can do anything we want, as long as we put the time and effort in. He challenges the reader to take control of their day, by tracking how we spend our time for a week and then building an optimal schedule with 15-30 minute blocks. No multitasking, we are much more efficient when our focus is single-pointed. No BSing on social media or checking email. The best way to stop yourself from instinctively picking up your phone is to limit access to it. If you need to focus, put the phone in a different room, or leave it at home when you go for a walk. If you’d like to read more about his story, you can purchase it on Amazon using the link above. It is very heavy on language, so if you are sensitive to explicit language there is also a clean version without swear words.
Even with this view of social media, it can still be hard to break the habit of picking up the phone. That’s why I plan on reading Atomic Habits, by James Clear next. I have seen this book on the shelves of so many people that I had to get my own. It has sold over 4 million copies and from what I hear, is a must-read.
Thank you for reading, and I hope my perspective gave you something to think about!
