Improper social media use is a common problem faced today.
There are many who want to leave old habits behind, but it can be quite an uphill battle for those who try.
Assistant professor Rebecca Densley, who earned her Ph.D. in Media & Communication, champions healthy media use and literacy. She shared that when someone confronts their negative media habits, they must give themselves grace.
“I try to remind myself and other people that to struggle with feeling out of control about your social media use or your technology use isn't necessarily a personal failing because there's this persuasive design, right?” Densley said. “It means that our brains are responding to what was designed to attract our brains.”
Keeping this in mind, Densley also explained the difference between negative and positive social media use. It ultimately stems from whether it is active or passive.
“Doomscrolling specifically is interesting because it's reflective of passive media use,” she said. “Passive social media use rather than active social media use.”
She describes the positive benefits that come when one actively engages with the media. This includes activities such as posting, messaging and commenting.
Densley asserted that there are no positive benefits to doomscrolling.
“You're just consuming that content, and it's linked to anxiety, low sleep, depression and more negative feelings about the world," Densley said.
She compared it to going to a social event: If someone goes to an event but does not talk to anybody, they will leave feeling more isolated than before they went. But if they go and actively participate, they leave feeling good.
Professor Brian Chandler, who has worked in the mental health field for thirty years, shared advice for leaving behind negative habits that have formed.
“I've worked with lots of people with different types of addiction, be it substance use or other behavior,” Chandler said. “You can't just say, 'Okay, stopping the addiction, no more of that,’ without having something to fill in the space."
He goes on to explain that a specific plan must be made to fill that space. This could include reading, interacting with peers face-to-face, getting to the gym or spending time outside.
He said that although the media gives an illusion of connection, it can be fleeting because it lacks the deep, meaningful relationship that contains reciprocity and compassion.
For UVU student Steven Anderson, this strategy has proven successful.
“Instead of the goal to just not be on my phone, I've been setting goals to read books. I'm listening to the Hunger Games book, and then I also read two Harry Potter books instead of being on my phone," Anderson said.
He shared that using his time in that way was much more uplifting for him.
Densley also mentioned the Church's emphasis on media fasting.
“Something else I love is that when President Nelson was a prophet, he challenged the women to do a social media fast. And the research on that is really positive. That periodic fasting can really help you to reevaluate your use and get back on track,” she said. “It can kind of help reset your brain and help you to get back into that active use.”
So yes, although it can be difficult to break free from existing social media patterns, it is possible for those who make a plan.