How social media is built to be addictive - with Lou & Fi

In October 2020 the total world population was 7.81 billion people, and a whopping 4.14 billion of those people were using social media. And the amount of time spent on social media is increasing, with the typical user now spending roughly 4 hours of their day (that’s a quarter of our waking life) on social platforms. 

Social media has been described as more addictive than cigarettes and alcohol. Lou and I talk about the tricks of the social media giants trades from ‘intermittent reinforcements’ such as the pull down to refresh feature to the way in which we end up relying on social media for our stored memories (known in the trade as investment). The tech giants really do steal our attention in exchange for commercial gain. We also chat about what you can do to make your own experience more positive. Part of the negative impact of social media on our well-being is that it takes us away from other activities that are essential to our brain health such as sleep and face-to-face social interaction. So the most obvious strategy to combat the impact of social media on your well-being is to give it a break or stop using it. But that’s not the only option, try monitoring how much you use social media and exactly how it’s impacting you. You may be surprised by the patterns that emerge. (For more on techniques for modifying your social media use to make it more healthy check out the Chapter 10 in the second edition of Defining You). 

Defining You - How to Build Your Unique Personal Profile and Unlock Your True Potential can be found at via this link and in all good book stores:

https://bit.ly/DefiningYou2ndEd

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