Social networks use the power of their algorithms to decide what information users consume. Over the past ten years, platforms have acquired a central place in the lives of the majority of people, most often without offering any real useful service. In the United States, a new bill even aims to apply different technologies to prevent platforms from having their hands on the operation of news feeds. While waiting for effective regulation to emerge, Sharon Horwoodlecturer in psychology at Deakin University, offers a method to get rid of social networks and thus regain control over the news.
First step: get to the evidence of the potentially harmful effect of social networks
While whistleblower Frances Haugen has revealed the dangers Meta’s platforms pose to society, those dangers are backed up by science. For some time, research has been analyzing the social and psychological impact that algorithms have on people and their behaviors. Despite this, the social media giant does not seem ready to make the necessary investments to prevent these risks. It is therefore better to act yourself, and take charge of the necessary separation. As with couples in difficulty, we must first ask ourselves what makes us happy in this relationship. On the one hand, we can believe that social networks make it possible to escape isolation, and to connect with communities with which we could not have been in physical contact. But, according to psychologist Sharon Horwood, if you can’t spend a day without browsing the sites, if you feel obligated to “love” or be “loved”, as in a couple, it means that your relationship is in trouble “. We must therefore face the facts: as often, we like things that are actually harmful. But closing your social media accounts isn’t always so simple. Sharon Horwood suggests going through this methodology in three steps.
1. Start with a trial separation: we had already mentioned it in another article to make a success of a cut with Facebook. Gradual distancing can help. First, a user can start with ” a little rehab by disabling notifications. We can then do a little cleaning of friends and delete those who are not really friends. We can also let our contacts know that we are taking a break, and set a short-term social media exit goal (eg a week or two). If everything goes smoothly after the trial period, then the motivation is stronger to cut permanently. Once you no longer feel the pull of social media, you’re finally ready to hit the ” remove “, encourages the psychologist.
2. Reduce the number of platforms with which we interact: by picking one or two apps that really have a meaningful purpose, you can make up your mind to ditch the rest.
3. Try to reduce your time spent on social networks: skip to this step if steps 1 and 2 are still too difficult to complete. First, turn off all your notifications, set a predetermined screen time. According to Sharon Horwood, it is likely that by reducing the time spent on social networks, people find more motivation in the physical world to spend even less time on the platforms.