TAMING THE MULTI-HEADED MONSTER
The most significant roadblock to change is not admitting to yourself that you need to change. An alcoholic lives in denial, and those who are addicted to one or more social media platforms generally refuse to accept that they are hooked. There are others who cheerfully admit they are addicted, but do not see it as a big deal. As we have seen in this article, some of the insiders who created these technologies and platforms do think it is a big problem. As Sean Parker declared, “God only knows what it’s doing to our children’s brains.”
Social media has become a multi-headed monster that is impossible to tame in our current world. There is the head of addiction, the head of misinformation through fake news, the head of destroying face-to-face communication, the head of physical inactivity, the heads of violent, vulgar and hate-filled speech. At the same time, we have the head of censoring legitimate ideas. This article will do nothing to slow down the train we are on, but it may encourage you to tame the monster in your home.
The first step is to open your eyes to the reality of the problem. Yes, everyone wants to keep up with children, grandchildren, parents, aunts and uncles. We enjoy seeing pictures and reading what happened to them last week, but as with television before social media, we must control its use. We must remember that it was specifically created to “consume as much of your time and conscious attention as possible…. And that means we have to sort of give you a little dopamine hit every once in a while…. It’s a social-validation feedback loop.” You may not understand exactly how that works, but more than one founder of a social media platform now admits that this was their intent from the beginning. We would do well to accept their confessions!
Once you realize there is a problem, you must be willing to admit that maybe, just maybe, you have fallen for the trap. Only then can you take control of the problem. Once you admit this, you have to take action. Make rules for yourself and your family to tame the monster. Here are some suggestions:
- Mealtime should be “time out” from social media and tech devices—put them away!
- Set time limits for each day and stick with them
- Keep a log of every minute you spend on social media
- Never text or check your social media accounts when visiting with others—it’s rude!
- Never, never text or use mobile devices while driving!
- Call “time out” one day a week
- Call “time out” when fishing, playing golf or enjoying other recreational activities
Here is some wise advice from the Bible: “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify” (1 Corinthians 10:23). In chapter 6 and verse 12 of this same book, the first part of the scripture is the same, but the second half is different. “All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” Take control! Tame the monster!
Article Appeared @https://www.tomorrowsworld.org/magazines/2018/march-april/tame-the-social-media-monster