I don’t know about you, but I think I’m addicted to Twitter. I am not much of a big tweeter, but I find myself scrolling non-stop day-in and day-out, and I’ve granted it my favorite social media platform. I am honestly curious because I think most of us have an unhealthy addiction to social media, myself included, so I looked up a few reasons why I may be addicted to Twitter.
Contrary to popular belief, the addiction isn’t because you want to see Chrissy Teigen’s next humorous tweet or the president’s next, I guess we can use the word humorous rant. Believe it or not, your brain has something to do with it too. According to an article on the website Psychology Today, titled “Addicted to Twitter? Here’s Why.” written by Judson Brewer, Twitter takes advantage of our natural reward-based learning process. We see something, we tweet about it, we get feedback. This is where we feel rewarded, and I think this is true with not only Twitter but with any social media. We post pictures on Instagram and wait for likes and comments. We post pictures on our Snapchat stories in hopes people will see it and maybe even swipe up to chat. We subconsciously give ourselves value based on the interactions. I don’t think any of this is news to you, it’s pretty obvious we like social media for connection but also for feedback, but I think it’s reassuring to know that your brain is at fault.
It is important to understand what the brain is feeling, and try to become more mindful when using Twitter or any other social media. For myself, I have turned off all notifications for every social media account, and I have done this for the past two years or so. I find it to be easier to not check it every minute because you don’t even know there is any activity on your page or anyone “important” Snapchatting you. I also do mini-cleanses, not of all social media, but I will delete the Instagram or Snapchat app off of my phone for a day. I know it’s not a lot, but it helps me to refocus and try to break social media addiction, and I think it can be very beneficial. I myself am guilty of social media addiction but find the positives in social media usage, and also find time for new hobbies. Your mind will thank you.
