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Picture this! You wake up one fine morning and you don’t have your phone. The one you have is only used for making calls and there are no digital platforms, there is no social media – in fact there is not internet. Did that notion make you anxious already?
It is indeed normal to feel that way. Today, no one can live without social networking sites. It’s an aspect of digital boom that has evolved to an essential component. It is hard to imagine a life without social media.
However, a lot has been said about the way we use it and consume the information we receive through it. It is suggested that we keep track of how much time we spend online each day. Being on social media has become so important in today’s time that much beyond just entertainment, in some cases, people’s employment is based on being active on social media.
So although there are suggestions about taking break from social media and avoiding excess of its use, but it is not clear where the lines should be drawn. So where should you put a stop? How much dopamine is enough? What are the best practices for optimum and wise use of Facebook et al?
Even if you spend the majority of your time on social networks, it is important to take a break. Jobs depend on the thing though.
The social media world has given many people employment opportunities. In communications for example, almost all positions require people to be connected with social media in one way or the other!
Another aspect is that social media has allowed people to voice their thoughts and opinions and reach out to a wider set of audience.
People would not be as innovative as they are today if social media didn’t exist and many businesses would not know how to promote themselves effectively if it didn’t exist.
It is a fact that social media has changed people’s perspectives and raised awareness about a wide range of issues. The knowledge that people share on social media has contributed to change in a positive manner.
According to the Global Web Index Flagship Report for 2019, internet users worldwide spend approximately 2 hours and 23 minutes each day on these platforms.
You can view statistics on phone time on-screen use with digital monitoring tools, and Android users can set app time restrictions for more fruitful interactions.
Because time is one of our most valuable resources, you should be able to select the kind of activities you would want to engage in when on social media.
It is estimated that cutting out three 10-minute social media checks a day would allow you to read up to 30 more books in one year.
Furthermore, since digital networks consume the majority of our waking hours, we would have more to devote to the activities we really like. If you were to look at your daily routine, you’d see that you spend a lot of time on social media rather than doing your tasks correctly.
It is therefore important that we avoid being addicted to social media, take regular breaks from it, and use it wisely for our benefit, not to waste our time.
Hussam Abdul Khaleq is Account Manager at Cicero & Bernay Public Relations, an independent PR agency headquartered in Dubai offering new-age public relations consultancy to the UAE and across the MENA region. | www.cbpr.me