If this constant state of being connected is so bad – how are we going to be able to refrain from using it? We are, after all, addicted.
The best way to get rid of our addiction to social media is simply to turn it off from time to time. But since we are addicted, it is not as easy as it sounds.
Per Johnsson, associate professor in clinical psychology, thinks time limits for your online presence are good – at least for things related to work.
“I never check my email after seven o’clock. A lot of weird things can show up at late hours, and it’s not good to see that just before going to sleep. Why do I need to know this right before going to bed? It can be advisable to hold off reading those things till the morning, and then use the rest of the day for figuring it out.”
To just shut down your email in the evenings is not always that simple. Work and leisure time easily get mixed, especially for students, since many socialize with their fellow students in their free time. We are expected to respond in group chats, even though it is Friday night and we would rather forget everything that has to do with our studies. Per Johnsson thinks that it is important to define boundaries when working in a group.
“I think it is important to be clear with each other, in a good group work, when you are expected to answer. You should not get anxiety from the pressure of being ready available. You cannot expect answers during the weekend, people do other things and the others must understand that. This new era needs clarity”, he says.
Caroline Ivarsson thinks that it is a good idea to ask yourself why you have to be online just now. At the Student Health Centre, they work a lot with mindfulness, an awareness of the present moment. It is good for regaining focus, like during a lecture or studying for an exam. But it really is applicable for any occasion when you need to regain control over your thoughts.
“Concentrate on being here and now. Be aware of yourself and your surroundings and use all your senses. You can sustain such a focus for a while, then you need a break. Getting regular breaks is good, stand up, go to the toilet”, Carolina Ivarsson explains.
When it comes to taking breaks, distractions like social media might even be good. It might help us focusing on other things, and the brain might have an easier time to digest what you just heard at the lecture.
Per Johnsson believes that we must realize that we do not live in a boundless world – and that it is necessary for us to change our relationship to the new technology.
“We must go back and look at what is profoundly human. We have never been able to be connected all the time, for example Churchill was good at finding down time. His favorite pastimes were doing masons’ work and painting. That’s why horticultural therapy is so beneficial for people who are burnt out, because you do something with your hand”, Per Johnsson says.
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SURVEY: Which are your habits on social media?
“I check my phone pretty often. It’s hard to not do it, even though I don’t care much what’s on Facebook and such. I have a friend who always leaves his phone at home when he goes to study, he probably gets a lot done.”
Photo: Saga Sandin
“I use social media very often. Sometimes at lectures, because it is nice and I get a break”, Linn Didoff says.
“But sometimes it’s probably because we’re addicted. It’s a habit, but I don’t feel that I want to or need to quit”, says Dzenana Dzanic.
Photo: Saga Sandin
“At lectures, I always shut off the phone, I find it disrespectful to the teachers to use it. In Argentina, many companies have blocked Facebook, so it is not a big problem that people use it during their work hours“.
Photo: Saga Sandin
