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How do you adopt healthy social media habits?
I recently went on a social media fast for a week (no social media that is not related to work, except Kakaotalk, which is a messaging service in South Korea) and really enjoyed being more present with my loved ones and being more aware of myself.
The fast was pretty easy to navigate because I had these clear rules for what I could and couldn't do, and it was for a fairly short time.
I would really like to have healthy habits when it comes to social media, so I need some advice for more long-term social media consumption.
How do you guys use social media, without having it take over too much of your time or attention? I love keeping up with my friends and the latest trends, but I just don't want to fall back into the trap of scrolling endlessly again.
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I have a blocker app called Opal that is currently in beta but essentially it creates windows of times where to use during work hours at least and then blocks during other times. When I'm not using it, I typically try my best to avoid "doomscrollling". I tend to pick up a book, that helps.
I typically follow a schedule when I check social media casually, and it's typically just Reddit and/or Mastodon. I also use tools like the Flow app (https://www.producthunt.com/post...) to help space things out. Otherwise, I only really use Twitter specifically for marketing/developer updates, so that's helped a bunch there. I also use Mastodon for similar purposes as I develop a client for it.
I hope that helps!
Something I tried is that I deleted the Instagram app from my phone, and later I started accessing it through the browser alone.This helped me cut down my app use because the Instagram app wasn't staring me in the face while I used my phone and I was less reminded to check it.
I also turn off notifications for periods of time.That also really helps.
I've used screen time on my iPhone to limit the time I'm spending on social media apps + schedule a specific time where I allow myself to use those apps. After watching The Social Dilemma documentary, I've also disabled a lot of unnecessary notifications! I think I've become more mindful of how I use social media apps, so I've definitely avoided doomscrolling!
Similar to Opal, I made app called FocusLite (https://focuslite.app) which is intended for your Mac.
The assumption is you've already tackled your phone (either by deleting apps or setting up Screen Time.)
The motivation to use FocusLite is that you can purchase a consumable IAP to start a streak, and if you give up, you'll have to purchase another.
Works wonders for me!
To fix that, I made a feed blocker http://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1..., so that I can take advantage of the learning and networking without the fear of endless scrolling
1. Keeping phone mostly on 'do not disturb' mode, so that notifications don't trigger me, and I can control when I want to use it
2. Using an app (StayFree) to track the usage of other apps so that I'm more aware of it
3. Allocating a specific time and duration to use social media, I'm targeting <1 hr per day
4. All messaging groups and conversations on 'chatboxzero' mode - continually archiving the messages so that's important is only in front of you
- Turn off notifications
- Let your loved ones know that you can only contact them after a specific time frame
- I would say put an alarm reminder that pops up on your phone and asks if you achieved what you planned for the day.
Turning off notifications alone helped massively. Also planning various fun and engaging activities for your free time that make you forget that you even own a phone.
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