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Is Social Media Toxic — Being Mindful

If you are one of those people who cannot focus on the important everyday tasks just because you are mindlessly scrolling through posts on social media, then this post is for you. Excess of anything is bad and when this obsession goes unchecked, you should really stop and ask yourself: Is Social Media Toxic?

Is Social Media Toxic
Is Social Media Toxic

“Instead of being grateful for our lives, we are constantly comparing it with others on social media. No wonder why every other person is unhappy”

I read this somewhere and it makes perfect sense. Social media has seeped into our lives in such a way that it is almost impossible to consciously not be a part of it. Although it comes in handy as it keeps you connected with your loved ones and keeps you updated on all what’s happening with them. But at the same time we should be aware when social media becomes toxic for us.

The first point to establish is that everyone is uploading the best parts of their lives online. Their best food, clothes, cars, houses, friends and work moments. No one is sharing their failures or issues or setbacks. So if someone is going through a tough phase in life and logs on, he will get further depressed after seeing that everyone else is having a ball.

Here’s the truth: although it may seem like everyone is having a ball all the time, that is not and that cannot be true! Everyone has their own demons to face, their own problems to deal with and their own setbacks to face. Yes, even the ones you feel have no problems.

My advice to you is that if you feel like social media has turned toxic for you and is taking a toll on your emotional well being, be mindful of its use and start noticing the effects it is having on your mental health.

I know it’s not easy. To not know where X is having dinner, where Y is partying, where Z is off on vacation. But answer me this, what difference does XYZ’s whereabouts make on your life? Then there is the fear of missing out. But again the stuff that you’re missing out, was it worth knowing in the first place?

I remember when social media did infact get really toxic for me, getting off Facebook and Instagram was one the toughest things I have ever done in my life! I knew I could never deactivate or delete my account, so here is what I did: I uninstalled both apps from my phone. A modern solution for a modern problem 😉

Trust me my mental health has improved tenfold just by doing this. I spend the time saved from pointless browsing on social media to reading a book and watching ted talks. Not only am I not wasting time anymore, I am utilizing it in a more productive way.

If despite of whatever I shared you still want social media to be the bad influence in your life, at least unfollow celebrities, makeup artists and so called marketing gurus. Rather follow people who would inspire you, people who talk about stuff that matters, people who convey useful information and ideas.

Conclusion to Is Social Media Toxic for You?
I will end my post on a simple note. You become what you feed your mind. By pointlessly browsing online, you are feeding your mind with unrealistic lifestyles, filtered lives and fake scenarios. And by spending your time elsewhere, you are consciously feeding your mind with information, knowledge and good habits. So what do you want to become? Choose accordingly 😊

I have written another article where I talk about how to use your time efficiently, specially in the post-corona world, do give it a read: https://reasonstolivefor.com/work-from-home/

While I was researching on this topic, I came across another article that presents some very logical points to the same topic: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/328749

Is Social Media Toxic for you? How are you/ do you plan on being mindful about it? Do let me know in comments below.

98 thoughts on “Is Social Media Toxic — Being Mindful”

  1. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I find that social media is toxic on several levels. Yes, the addiction and comparisons are harmful but so is the herd mentality that draws people to false information, hateful ideas and deadly medical advice. Initially, I joined social media as a way to promote my photography service but I’ve found it next to useless. Instead, I got caught up in the very obsessions you mention. Time for me to make a change as well. Stay safe. Thanks again. Peace, Health and Harmony.

    Reply

    2. “Tool” is the appropriate word.
      It is up to the user to apply an edge to get wood for building a hut or to cut down the preexisting wooden hut.

      Reply

  3. I really enjoyed reading this. I find it quite difficult to walk the line between utilising social media as a way to stay connected to my support system, and becoming too absorbed by it and getting weighed down by everyone else’s picture-perfect life. It’s a tough one, but I think I could definitely do with reducing my time on social media. Endless scrolling is no good for anyone!

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  4. I completely agree it’s toxic in so many ways, and I see so many of my college students hooked on it with their moods coinciding with posts. Too many people are living their lives through a screen and miss so much as a result. Thank you for this important post! ❤️🙂❤️

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  5. Here’s something I read recently and resonated with it … (paraphrased) …

    “I decided it was high time to prioritize down to a small number of people, rather than maintain so many different superfluous contacts on social media. To do this, I started with an online ‘cull’ of my so-called ‘Friends’. First on that list? Those who work overtime trying to make their lives look like something out of a Boden catalogue. Those who post carefully curated images of their perfect lives, [genius!] children and [always-thoughtful and romantic!] spouses. You know them. They’re the ones who chronicle every aspect their oh-so-important and oh-so-busy lives, ending each with the nauseating hashtag #blessed.”

    Loved i! … Exactly the points you made here in your post.

    Then there’s the other that that I liked so well I made a meme of it: … ‘The evidence of a good relationship is no sign of it on Facebook.’

    Thanks for the timely post!

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  9. Social Media became less toxic for me when I unfriended about half of my friends’ list! Some were people I never met personally but had an online connection with (business-related, mostly) and the others were those who were constantly telling me (in a roundabout way, of course) that my opinion would change if only I knew a, b, or c, or if I read this article or that article. I guess they figured because my opinion was different than theirs, I must be stupid or uninformed. WTF? Done with that. My life is much simpler now.

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  11. So true, well written 💯Shared some new blogs on numerous topics I thought about during this lockdown, would be glad if you check them out and share your feedback ✨

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  12. Social media has been toxic for me. I logged into my Facebook account for the first time in a year and just resumed my use of IG for the first time in months. It’s too easy to compare. However, I’ve been using the Screen Time function on my iPhone to limit time spent on specific apps. Thanks for sharing.

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  13. I’ve left facebook behind recently to read WordPress blog posts because there seems to be some actual human introspection here and real-life anecdotes opposed to superficial memes and political opinions – which I now find utterly exhausting.

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    1. To be honest I find the WordPress community extremely encouraging. It’s been over an year since I’m blogging and I am yet to come across a negative comment. Even if someone has a different opinion they put it across very decently. As opposed to keyboard warriors on other social networking sites.

      Reply

  14. This is something I have been thinking about a lot lately. I am going to write a post on a regular practice of silence. Looking to introduce some much needed strategies to stay connected yet not dependent. It is so easy to loose time on things that are 1) not real life and 2) not beneficial to a positive state of mind. Thank you for your post!!

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  15. Great post that echoes some wonderful and realistic point! I too have found myself in situations where I’m affected by the contents of social media.. I had to take a break…now I’m back and I’ve made the decision to do things a little different like not follow celebrities and other famous wealthy individuals

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  16. These are excellent points. Facebook and Instagram always pull me back in after a few months without logging on. But I’d never considered replacing time spent on social media with TED Talks. Do you have any specific TED talk topics/speakers you enjoy?

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  17. I agree. I pretty recently deleted all my “friends’ in my friend list and started over again. This time around is refreshing for now my newsfeed is refreshing with positivity, good thoughts, and helpful advice. There used to be a time I would feel like I was missing out if I didn’t check my Facebook newsfeed every single day, several times a day. Now today I will go several days without jumping on social media finding I’m a lot more relaxed and happy. What gets my goat is the messages that would say if you believe in this post share it or someone spamming my Newsline with as many as 10 in row posts. Talk about oversharing. Those ‘friends’ are no longer in my newsfeed. Nowadays social media wants to connect you to everything, your cell phone, and every social media app there is. Even my son will take breaks from Facebook which makes me glad he has the common sense to preserve his peace of mind. Nice honest true post.

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  18. Thank you for sharing this vulnerable and honest post! I 100% agree and I always find it encouraging to hear other’s perspectives on the influence of social media. Something I struggle with is the constant comparison of my reality to the slivers of insight shared through perfected images and glowing updates – I loved how you put it, “the best parts of their lives.” I wrote a similar post several months ago where I reflected on my long break from Facebook. Cheers to being grateful for life!

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  19. Thanks for this post, I agree if it is not serving you get off it, I love that you just removed them from your phone 👌 I think being mindful that everyone has edited their social media lives can help.

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  20. Great post. I agree completely. Toxic – virulent. Virality is the very nature of “social” media. I concur with unfollowing celebrities and the like; the times we are living through have made them irrelevant. We all need to find the positive light of inspiration and let it shine all around. Thank you for your meaningful writing.

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  21. “Comparing it with others on social media” – why would people compare their own happiness with others’ when others’ likes, dislikes and situations are not as same as their own ?!

    “Happiness is the magical seed that can be sown in the farm of mind, only by the farm owner.”

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  22. Toxic? Yes! I’ve been shamed before and I know I’ll be shamed again. I’ve been called names (I responded to a political post and a guy basically called me “illegitimate” (the post was about Hong Kong and I said my family was from there. Dude thought I was an “illegal child” of help. Ummmm, NO. And what if I was? Doesn’t matter!). A woman also posted a nasty GIF as a reply to something I wrote. And that’s just in the last two days). I DO like Instagram. I mostly follow fashion and food people and I enjoy trying to get creative or come up with my own version of dishes!

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    1. To each their own I’d say. I never shame people, I believe everyone is open to their own choices. People don’t realize the importance of being kind and it’s absolutely free!

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  23. Pingback: Is Social Media Toxic — Being Mindful — Pointless Overthinking – Sukhraj Grewal

  24. If I may add, blogging is also a good way to distract one’s self away from too much social media. I don’t have this problem, but blogging helped me make use of my spare time wisely. I think it won’t hurt for people who are experiencing this so called “social media toxicity” to try blogging.

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  25. I think Social Media is not toxic in the first place, but some of the users has make it toxic. From a sharing platform, it has become a “competition” platform, showing off what is good and glory in their lives. Instead of getting affected by it, I decided to actively follow groups and news channel I am interested in and unfollow friends that post a little too much of their personal life. My news feed in FB these days, contains mainly only what I wish to see 😉.. instead of affected by what we can’t control, why not change what we can ?

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  26. Wow! Just reading this. I have been addicted to Twitter for several years now. Facebook and Instagram aren’t really an issue. Like you, I refuse to delete the accounts, but I do delete the apps from my phone when I need to detox. Deleted them earlier today. I have several accounts on different social media platforms. Some I have to manage daily. So, I cannot keep them deleted for long. I just need to avoid logging onto my personal accounts. My goal is to stay logged off for at least a week. We shall see what happens. Thanks for the tips!

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  27. All must be done in moderation. I mute the negativity. The news seems to be stuck on the bad channel. People are insensitive and cruel. We need a breather. Social media, thing pop up and surprise. Taking a break and doing as you suggested is wise. Time to press the reset button on our lives.

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  28. I love this topic! I started my process of reducing social media last year when I moved abroad for the second time. I went cold turkey for 7 months and then added it back when I had it under control. I’ve been mindful of only following friends/accounts that don’t make me feel bad about myself, spread positivity, inspire me, etc. but I realized something just wasn’t right. Even with a very small limit of social media intake a day I was realizing negative impacts. That’s when I realized the key to my creativity was Capacity! Although my social media was a positive influence, it still inhibited me from my own unique creative thoughts and being able to connect to my own thoughts more deeply. Realizing this gave me the space and time to write some of the best articles I’ve written, and led to two job offers. It was a great lesson and something I remind myself of very often. Thanks for sharing! <3E

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  29. If you do all time scrolling then it will become one day. but if you do only limited time or do twice in a day with few hours then it will help you to increase knowledge also.

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  31. Coming across this article, you’ve convinced me to uninstall social media for awhile. It’s hard to stay productive and positive when you see a lot of toxic posts that are detrimental to our mental and emotional health. Thanks for the well-written post!

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  32. I am just returning from an “internet break” to find this… I honestly and totally know how it feels for social media to become toxic, so much so that it has become a habit for me to go offline for a while from time to time. This is really true and it is something people really need to learn.

    I do think it will help if our “social media influencers” focus more on discussing and addressing real issues and not fantasies, and if they come transparent rather than cosmetic on social media.

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  37. When social media get bigger every time, they provide you with unnecessary information. i make social media just to connect with my friend that too far from my city. And now it’s full of mess. Uninstall it or just deactivate your account for one week or a month is better.

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  43. Pingback: Is Social Media Toxic — Being Mindful – Aryan. com

      1. Which podcasts or books would u recommend? 😊

        I recently started My blog and am currently writing about the information society and the hidden backsides of it. Would u mind checking it out? Would be really happy to receive some feedback 😚

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