Am I in need of a media detox?

My name is Simone and I’m a media addict. But so are all of you. In recent times, I have seen the idea of taking a ‘media detox’ become popular within the context of mental health. I began to think to myself, what does technology, particularly social media, really do for me? How, if it all, does it enrich my life? Or is it simple a negative influence? I want to explore the positive and negative influences of the Internet on my life. I think technology is important, even essential to living, these days, so I want to be able to use technology in a way that it benefits me and enhances my life. At the same time, I don’t want to waste my limited energy surfing the net.

I use social media to keep in touch with friends and family around the world, for which it has proven indispensable. I am able to bridge gaps between continents and still feel connected despite the distance. Sometimes though, Facebook gets me down. I think this is for the simple reason that it encourages comparison and peer pressure, by feeding you a constant stream of highlights from the lives of your friends. It is rare that someone will disclose personal problems online ̶ we all like to look our best on Facebook, so will only put up photos of ourselves looking healthy, happy and attractive. In this way, Facebook can be seen as a personal marketing tool which advertises our best features to either potential partners or our equals, thus fostering competition. During my latest bad patch with my health, I was in very low spirits and did not want to be reminded of what a great, fun time everyone else was having, so I disabled my account. Half an hour later, my sister was on the phone to me explaining to me why this would not be wise. She said I would only be isolating myself further, and she was right. While Facebook can dampen my spirits sometimes, when I do hear from a friend or reach out to someone, I feel a lot better. Although my Facebook newsfeed can sometimes be difficult to swallow, I am working on feeling joy in other’s experience of life, so it is an ideal test.

I also use technology to research into my current health issues, which has its pros and cons. We have all come to drastic conclusions googling our symptoms, so of course we should take our findings with a pinch of salt, especially if they come from a disreputable source (e.g. a blog or Wikipedia page). At the same time, the internet has been an indispensable tool in finding support for my mysterious illness. While it is usually not advised to try and diagnose yourself, with the myriad of fluctuating and individual symptoms that ME can entail, you are forced to become an expert on your condition. Through reading articles on respected websites, I have learnt so much about my illness, and now know far more then my doctor. As there is so little help or advice offered to ME sufferers by general practitioners, we have to look elsewhere for the support we need. I have found this on online support groups, forums, blogs and non-for-profit websites. Here you can find emotional and practical support, reviews of tried and tested treatments, including controversial or alternative treatments. You can also find horror stories. While there are many positive and reassuring people out there, they are many who are depressed and despairing about their illness. Thus I find Facebook support groups can be a drain as much as a life source. I recently opened a Twitter account which I am using for ME advocacy, because like many ME patients, I am fed up of being ignored by the medical industry. In a way, it makes me feel productive, and like I am actually doing something towards getting better from my illness. In other ways, it reiterates the harsh reality of the intense suffering a lot of ME patients are experiencing and the frustration of so many that have this invisible and apparently insignificant illness. So again, it’s a double-sided coin.

When it comes to technology, what I am really curious about is how use or abuse of it affects my mental health and overall feeling of well-being. I finally succumbed to buying a smartphone a few months ago, and now receive notifications from Twitter, Facebook and Gmail every 10 minutes. I find this highly intrusive, but cannot seem to turn it off. Even if my phone is on silent it still vibrates and flashes. For someone suffering from anxiety, this is clearly damaging. I am trying to learn to be more mindful and practice meditation, but I feel that technology is counteracting my efforts. I have read about the effects of receiving a message on the reward system of our brains. Every time our phone buzzes the reward system of our brains is activated, which is also what happens when we eat something sweet. If I think about training my dog, I gave him treats for good behaviour, so he soon learned that certain actions would bring him an instant reward. I equivocate this with our relationship with internet media. We have learned that checking our phone as soon as it demands our attention will bring us a reward. I definitely relate to the idea of a ‘media binge’. We become hypnotized by our screens and hours can go by without us noticing. It’s the same as going through a whole packet of cookies to yourself. Only when we feel like we have sated our hunger, do we relent. I am also aware that if I used technology just before I go to sleep, it takes a lot more time for my brain to shut down and allow sleep in. We’ve been told that the screen’s blue light can disturb our REM sleep patterns. We know all this, but still obediently check our Emails before bed. After opening my Twitter account a few weeks ago, I realized that using it was making me tense, which puzzled me. Having read an article in Psychologies Magazine however, which spoke of the simple magnitude of information available to us on the internet, I realized was getting to me. I am curious by nature, so Twitter must have highlighted to me how many unread articles there are out there; how much information there still is left for me to discover. It seems silly, but it’s the truth. I am simply overwhelmed by the infinity of this resource. But as the article pointed out, this information would take more than a lifetime to go through.

Right now I feel that my technology has a hold on me, when I should be the one in control. I think I need to implement some sort of media diet. Perhaps this means turning my phone of altogether and only checking it at certain times of the day. I’m sure my mind would feel a lot better and less cluttered for it. I also need to find a way of filtering out the information that is relevant and beneficial to me, so I can avoid oversaturating my intelligence. Cutting down on technology use is not dissimilar to cutting down on sugar, alcohol or cigarettes. It’s difficult but with discipline, it can be done. Instead of snacking on media all day, I’m going to attempt a healthier, more balanced diet.

Wish me luck! 🙂