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Social Scrolling Is Making You Numb 🧟‍♀️

Breaking the cycle of social scrolling (Ep. 4)

Author

Tameem Rahal
20 Feb

THE CULPRIT…
Mindless Scrolling 🤖

Picture this - it's night time, you’re finally going to bed early to get a full 8 hrs, you decide on a quick 5 min. screen scroll, you open your Insta/ TikTok/ X/ YouTube/ Reddit/ Douyin/ Facebook/ Pinterest/ LinkedIn/ Twitch/ Discord/ etc... 27 cat videos, 23 fire memes, 18 emoji comments, 7 motivational quotes and 49 minutes later you finally shut it down and (try to) fall asleep with a mind riddled with anxiety and a body on edge.

Must. Watch. Dance. Tok.

The Pleasure Loop
The brain, fuelled by the neurotransmitter dopamine, seeks patterns and rewards. When you scroll through a familiar platform, the brain anticipates rewards (new information, amusing content), and each scroll fulfills that anticipation, releasing a burst of dopamine. It's a pleasure loop that keeps you coming back for more, seeking that next hit of satisfaction. It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s accessible repeated hits for the brain.

THE SHIFT…
Awareness (Addiction 101)

As with all addictions, awareness of the habitual pleasure loop truly is the first step to regaining control. It allows you to understand the science behind the pleasure loop and make intentional choices about your digital use. The more you can become aware and notice when you’re picking up your phone (it’s always way more than you think), and how long you’re on it (also more than you think), the better the chances of busting the habit.

Whoa, Tok’ed Too Hard.

Disrupt the Pleasure Loop
Addictions are hard to break because they’re feeding the dopamine engine and that just feels sooooo good - and what more convenient way to do that than to watch a 10 sec video of kids who don’t know how to dance?! Well That means it’ll require intention, a concerted effort and time to get your brain distancing itself from the easy hit of the social scroll and accustomed to other, more valuable, boosts.

THE TOOLS…
See What Sticks

1 // One sec - there’s an app for that
This app reduces app usage by ~57%. Once downloaded it will automatically force a pause before your apps open up, also letting you know how many times you’ve tried to open the app that day. Mindful pauses + tracking + there’s so much more it can do with it. Check it out!

2 // Block Out App Time
Designate certain times for scrolling so you don’t completely cut yourself off. You can start by blocking off “NO SCROLL” times in your calendar and work your way up to setting custom times in your day where your apps automatically get disabled. There’s plenty of apps to help you set these blocks up, you can check some out here and pick what resonates.

3 // Go Grey
Just like how casinos make everything bright and shiny so they suck you into an endless pit of spending, app designs are the same. The bright, bold colorful designs are thoughtfully created to scream “PUSH THE BUTTON” - and you usually do. Turning your apps to greyscale removes the visual stimulus and makes it less addictive. Here’s a How-To guide to get started.
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More to Explore:
👉🏼 A chuckle: YouTube Shorts Be Like
👉🏻 A read: The Psychology of Your Scrolling Addiction
👉🏿 A book: How to Breakup With Your Phone

THE CHALLENGE…
Pay to Not Play

  1. Open your Settings and go to “Digital Wellbeing” on your Android phone (or “Screen Time” on your iPhone)

  2. Count all the hours spent on apps for your previous work week (ie. Mon-Fri)

  3. Set that amount of hours aside as dollars (e.g. 75hrs spent last week = put $75 aside, or e-transfer it to yourself)

  4. This week try to reduce that total number by 10% (feel free to use the strategies above)

  5. At the end of the week, see if you were able to reach 10% in time. If yes, return that money back to your wallet. If no, plop it in a savings account (still a win-win).

Happy Shifting!
- Tameem

This Episode was brought to you by TRYBE - a private, paid community for accountability, guidance and connection our own journey of growth.
January we’re tackling a 30 day Reflection Writing Challenge.
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