Detoxing from social media
You’ve probably done it before,been glued to your phone , scrolling through Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. It becomes a daily ritual, checking as soon as you wake up, in between work, and even right before bed. That’s why some people are starting the new year with a social media detox.
Haven Simmons, a professor in the Communication Arts Deparmtment at Salisbury University says, “Very often they will go on for work purposes and then visit a social site or checkout in fact who may have contacted them. God forbid if they would miss out.”
Haven Simmons has seen first hand how social media has affected his students.
“Constant use of social media has made this generation of students a little bit less active in the classroom, in terms of genuine discussion. They’re not quite as conversation as they used to be in a tradition sense.” says Professor Simmons.
Professor Simmons agrees it’s good to take a break from social media. Something close to home as some of the 47 ABC team has already signed off. Anchor Lenita Wesson and our Assignment Editor Kiyana Lewis gave us some insight on just how many hours a day they spend checking them their social media apps.
“The hours are countless I don’t even want to know officially how much time I spend,” says Lenita Wesson.
Kiyana Lewis says, “Collectively probably 4 to five hours so it was getting kind of bad.”
That’s why they’ve deleted the apps off their mobile devices. Professor Simmons says that spending this amount of time affects can affect personal interactions and productivity.
“I want it to be more like this person called me today or this person saw me today,” says Lewis.
However, it can be hard to commit to such a big change.
“Well FOMO is a real thing. Fear of missing out and of course I have that. I love to see my friends babies and children and vacations. The picture of what they’re doing.,”says Wesson.
“A separation is feasible between work and play even in cyberspace,” says Professor Simmons.
However, until you find that healthy balance , a little detox could be just what the doctor ordered.
