Mastering Digital Hygiene: Balancing Social Media’s Impact on Wellbeing 

Social media has become a constant companion in our daily lives. From when we wake up to when we hit the hay, our trusty devices are never far away. But have you ever considered how much of your time and attention you spend on your social feed or how it affects you?

Understanding Social Media Use

Internet users now spend almost 2.5 hours daily on social media— over a third of our online time! Platforms like TikTok are taking the lead, with the highest average time per user. These trends raise an important question: How does this online presence affect our mental health?

Social Media and Mental Health

Is social media enhancing our wellbeing, or could it be undermining it? Well, it’s more complicated than that. Research shows that social media has both positive and negative impacts on our mental health and overall wellbeing. On the upside, these platforms can help us stay connected, access valuable resources, and even unleash our creativity. But on the flip side, social comparison and excessive use can lead to unwanted consequences, like decreased self-esteem and disrupted sleep .

Let’s explore the workplace impact, where social media can be a two-sided coin. It provides much-needed mental breaks and team bonding, but can also be a significant distraction and security risk if left unchecked. That’s why healthy social media use is essential for individual wellbeing and organizational success.

Building Healthy Habits Around Social Media

So, how can you strike the right balance? That’s where the science of habit formation comes into play. Our brains turn all sorts of actions and thoughts into automatic habits—social media use included. By understanding how habits form, you can take control, and create healthy social media practices.

Habit forming is a three-step dance: cue, routine, and reward. The cue is like your brain’s starting whistle, the routine is the habit itself in motion, and the reward is that feel-good payoff. When your brain experiences a reward, it reinforces the whole behavioral loop.

When it comes to social media, we must identify those cues, optimize our routines, and make sure we’re getting the right kind of reward. For example, here’s how you can create a habit of using social media to learn new skills:

• Cue: Discovering you have some free time between meetings or tasks.
• Routine: Instead of scrolling through social media feeds, you visit pages or follow accounts that post educational content, tutorial videos, or inspiring stories about your interests.
• Reward: Gaining new knowledge or skills gives you a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. This positive feeling encourages you to repeat the behavior, reinforcing the habit loop.

Let’s dive deeper into the main idea here. Digital hygiene is structuring the use of technology to get healthier benefits. Like personal habits around showering or brushing teeth, the same approach applies to using technology and social media. It’s about implementing little routines and practices that help us maintain our health, safety, and wellbeing online.

Think of digital hygiene to clean up your online habits so those platforms don’t control your time and attention. You might choose to set social media boundaries, like time limits and tech-free zones, unfollow negative accounts, or set reminders for regular screen breaks. It can take some conscious effort at first, but consistent practice will pay off in the long run.

So, are you ready to take greater control of your social media use with healthy digital habits? Reach out to the team at headversity for more science-backed strategies to help you build healthy habits, finding that sweet spot between scrolling and thriving.