Taylor-Leigh
Scrolling is the new smoking.
I was listening to a short film created by some of my favorite people on the internet, The Minimalists, when I first heard this phrase.
And to that I asked myself,
Am I a hypocrite?
I flash back to my elementary days, learning from the school safety officer about how bad smoking is for us. The main point being that smoking cigarettes is addicting, and over time, it would wreak havoc on the health of our lungs. At the time, (almost) everyone was doing it. Now, (almost) everyone is doing social media, looking things up, and compulsively checking their email & the news.
Have cigarettes been replaced?
I remember as kids when my brother and I would try to get certain family members to quit smoking cigarettes by regurgitating everything we learned in school about how terrible they are. However, we discovered that “just quitting” an addictive behavior isn’t as easy as we would have liked, especially in times of stress. I learned this later firsthand as I experienced patterns of food/ eating addiction, shopping, and trichotillomania.
For people who haven’t experienced addictive habits, maybe it’s possible to pop on Instagram once a week just to see what’s up, or once a month to post what they’ve been up to. Maybe it’s possible for people to regulate their time & to limit the type of consumption, but that doesn’t discount the fact that the internet, and social media in particular, is an infinite vortex of content. You will never get caught up on what you have yet to see or read or watch or hear.
To quote The Minimalists,
“The only way to really get caught up on the web, is to avoid getting caught up in the web. Only then can we return to our devices and use them, rather than letting our devices use us.”
Accepting the fact that we will never see allllll there is to see on social media is one way to just put the phone down.
For people with a history of addictive behavior, the smartphone has become another vice, another impulse to act on. The dangerous effects of smoking come as a result of the repetitive behavior over time. What about social media?
Due in part to the Netflix documentary, The Social Dilemma, the effects of social media on our lives are becoming more well known. It is no doubt that social media has become overwhelmingly a part of our lives. Sometimes I feel like I wouldn’t exist if I didn’t have some form of it. And if I didn’t, my self-worth would be left to actually come from inside myself, rather than an external source such as number of “likes” or “followers.” Personally, I got off Instagram in an effort to see what my life would be like without it. For 8 years Instagram was a part of my life. A crucial developmental part of my life, I might add. Not only was my mental health suffering, but I started to wonder if some of the issues I was facing came as a result of social media consumption. Basically, I wanted to get rid of my problems by getting off Instagram- the same problems I developed from being on there in the first place!
Going back to the original question I prompted myself, am I a hypocrite? I ask because I think of myself as a child begging my family member to quit their addictive behavior, and now here I am doing the new smoking: scrolling. The best way for myself to move forward is to think of myself as the child I was.
If I were parenting myself, what would I need?
A role model who is paying attention to the road instead of their phone while driving,
Who has their attention on their friends and family while they are together,
Who spends time to themselves filling their cup with meaning rather than stuffing their mind with information and their heart with comparison.
A role model who values the present moment in the physical world, rather than an external reality deep in the trenches of technology.
A parent, friend, relative, that prefers self exploration over validation from strangers.
A creator who focuses on the depth and quality of their work over the quantity of views & likes.
A sense of self that is not distracted, separated, constantly searching, but fulfilled, present, peaceful & connected.
That’s the kind of person I want to show up as in the world.
So now what? How do I quit smoking? How do I quit scrolling?
Quitting any kind of addictive behavior is no one size fits all approach, but there are some common ways such as staying busy, removing yourself from tempting situations, and finding support. When it comes to spending less time on your phone,
here are some ways that help me:
Delete the apps/ deactivate or delete accounts.
Become aware of how much you use it.
Become aware of how you feel before & after scrolling.
If you just haaaave to look something up, put it in the back of your mind for later. If you forget about it, let it be, it must not have been that important. If you are still thinking about it later, then go ahead and google it.
Set boundaries for work & email checking time.
If you use out of boredom, find more meaningful ways to spend your time-
read books,
call a friend,
spend time outside,
move your body,
go back to what you love to do or create,
embrace the boredom and use it as time to explore your thoughts,
or meditate- don’t think at all!
Find ways to love yourself and spend time with people who truly love and support you.
Do things not to post about it- but because you freakin’ want to.
So to conclude, and to answer my main question, no I am not, or no longer am, a hypocrite when it comes to scrolling as modern day smoking. I also do not reprimand people who are burdened by the addiction, aware of it or not. For these devices and apps are designed so that users will continue to use and consume. By becoming aware of my habits and being more mindful in everyday life, I find that I need to use my smartphone less and less. In fact, I think beyond myself and ask not only how does my behavior affect me, but how do my distractions affect others? Those I’m spending time with, and perhaps the safety of others?
Your turn to reflect.
What about you? Do you find yourself getting some sort of a “fix” from scrolling? Do you think it helps you or hurts you in the present moment? What do you think the effects will be in the long run?
If everyone’s doing it, how can you be the one that goes against the grain?
Do it for you, and always stay true.
In presence and in peace,
Taylor-Leigh
Hi that’s me! A deep thinker on the path of intentional living. My mission is to bring connection and resonance to readers about mindfulness and well-being in a crazy busy world. Be your best self, no matter how different that may be.