How I Stop Social Media From Melting My Brain (It's Not Breaks)

Social media isn't just like a drug—it's like a psychedelic.

It’s commonly said that social media is like a drug, but what drug? More than anything, I say social media is like a psychedelic drug. Unlike other drugs, the outcome you have on psychedelics varies widely based on you—and social media is the same. People even hallucinate from their social media use; the way they see reality becomes altered and for many, it’s a bad trip. They see enemies and signs of impending doom in everything. But just as with psychedelics, even a bad trip can offer insight. It’s the right framework for contextualizing social media use that most people are lacking today. 

I spend more time than I’d like on social media; it’s both work and recreation for me. I use it to express political views and social commentary, so I’m in the ugliest corners of the internet. I’ve built a following of almost 40k people across multiple platforms, worked as a social media director for an organization I helped gain over 160k followers, and have been using some form of social media since MySpace. Yet, I’m not suffering the same negative effects from my social media use that many are: it’s not making me hate humans, fear the future, or become extreme.

I’m not magically immune to social media’s harm; I’ve cultivated a conscious approach to using it that protects me from the negative effects I increasingly see in others. I’m repeatedly asked how I stay sane on social media, so I’ve synthesized my approach into this social media trip guide.

The negative effects people usually notice from social media use are reduced attention span, a negative sense of self brought on by comparing themselves to strangers, and wasting time they’d prefer to spend in more meaningful ways. These effects are the result of overuse and can be managed by structuring and reducing your time on social media. You already know you need to take occasional breaks from social media and avoid letting it fill your every spare moment. While I don’t take scheduled breaks from social media, I do avoid using it in the morning, late evenings, and as filler for empty time in between tasks. I aim to only use social media because I’ve consciously chosen to use it; this is the first line of defense against its more insidious effects. 

What can do more harm than the known effects of social media are the unknown effects: misanthropy, cynicism, closed-mindedness, and a habit of making knee-jerk judgments. These effects are more subtle because they aren’t just bad habits, they’re a lens you see the world through. When you see people changing for the worst on social media, it’s usually because they’re letting it mold their perspective instead of consciously molding it themselves.