Last week, I was out for dinner when a notification with some news popped up on my phone. The headline caught my eye, and I clicked on it, thinking it would be a quick read. However, before I knew it, I was scrolling through multiple news stories.
As I read through the articles, I began to feel increasingly frustrated.
Why was I wasting my time reading things that didn’t interest me or contribute to my goals? I quickly realized that I had fallen into a trap, one that was designed to keep me hooked.
It was then that I realized the magnitude of the problem. Companies invest millions of dollars to grab people’s attention and keep them scrolling, collecting data with every swipe to create a personalized experience that keeps users coming back for more.
So what? What’s the harm in that?
Here are the problems you’re causing for yourself:
1. Attention fragmentation – your attention is pulled in different directions,
and it weakens your focus and creates confusion in your brain.
2. It causes stress – your mind functions best to solve problems when it is relaxed and focused on one thing at a time. If your attention is fragmented, it creates stress.
3. You’re being tracked – you’re scrolling and clicking gives the apps more info to keep getting your attention which keeps you in this negative loop.
Most people are more anxious and stressed than ever before and they think there’s something wrong with them. What’s wrong is what they’re allowing!
If you allow social media and online content distract you, it’s no wonder you feel stressed and anxious. Did you ever consider that?
Try doing a social media detox and watch how you feel. You’ll feel tension and stress and a strong pull back to it. That should convince you to change the way you operate.
