Social:Social media detoxification
Social media detoxification or Social media detox is a kind of mental detoxification under the umbrella of Digital detox, specifically referring to a period of time when individuals stay away from social media platforms.[1] Detoxification or detox formally refers to the physiological or medical removal of toxic substances from a living organism. Thus this term "social media detox" carries this connotation that social media is negative to the individual and thus he/she needs to stay away from it for a period of time to recover.
Overview
Social media detoxification, or more commonly referred to as "non-use of social media" in academic research, is the period of time during which individuals voluntarily stay away from social media.[2] It falls under the umbrella of Digital detox, with a focus specifically on unplugging from social media. In recent times, it has become an increasingly relevant phenomenon with people from celebrities such as Kanye West and Ed Sheeran [3] to regular social media users going on this detox. For example, a study conducted in 2013 found that more than half of Facebooks American population were non-users.[4] It is a conscious effort made by users to fight against social media addiction. [5]
This phenomenon is focused on a type of non-users known as social media rejectors[6] who were once used of social media but have now voluntarily given it up for various reasons. By unplugging from social media, these rejectors hope to re-embrace the tangible and make more meaningful connections. [7]
Discussion
There has been a wide array of viewpoints with regards to the pros and cons of a social media detox. Research in social media use and non-use has also provided academic backing to the reasons that are often cited by individuals as reasons for going on a social media detox. Some of these include concerns over privacy and data misuse, productivity, addiction and social, professional or institutional pressures.[8][9]
Non-use is not a clear-cut binary distinction in opposition to using, but these rejectors do demonstrate a desire for selective and reversible disconnection.[10] Social media has become so interwoven into daily life that going off social media is the conscious lifestyle choice.[11]
In this digital age, social media plays a vital role in building social capital, maintaining connections[12] and impression management [13] Some scholars even argue that it is important for individuals to have certain levels of distraction for life balance and to achieve a common state of body and mind.[14] As such, social media is a basic need and one cannot cut away from it cold turkey, arguing that moderation is key.[15]
See also
- Social media
- Digital detox
- Internet Addiction Disorder
- Digital addict
- Mobile phone overuse
References
- ↑ "How to Do a Social Media Detox (and Why You Should Right Away)". makeuseof.com. 2017-03-24. https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/social-media-detox/. Retrieved 2018-04-01.
- ↑ Baumer, E. P., Guha, S., Quan, E., Mimno, D., & Gay, G. K. (2015). "Missing photos, suffering withdrawal, or finding freedom? How experiences of social media non-use influence the likelihood of reversion.". Social Media+Society 1 (2). doi:10.1177/2056305115614851.
- ↑ "15 Stars Who've Quit Social Media … and How Long They've Stayed Away". people.com. http://people.com/celebrity/stars-who-quit-social-media-justin-bieber-leslie-jones/#ed-sheeran. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
- ↑ Rainie, L., Smith, A., & Duggan, M. (2013). "Coming and Going on Facebook". pewinternet.org. http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/02/05/coming-and-going-on-facebook/. Retrieved 2018-04-10.
- ↑ Portwood-Stacer, L. (2012). "How we talk about media refusal, part 1: Addiction". flowtv.org. https://www.flowjournal.org/2012/07/how-we-talk-about-media-refusal-part-1/. Retrieved 2018-04-10.
- ↑ Wyatt, S. M., Oudshoorn, N., & Pinch, T. (2013). "Non-users also matter: The construction of users and non-users of the Internet". Now Users Matter: The Co-construction of Users and Technology: 67-79.
- ↑ Jurgenson N. (2013). "The Disconnectionists". The New Inquiry. https://thenewinquiry.com/the-disconnectionists/. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
- ↑ Baumer, E. P. S., Adams, P., Khovanskaya, V. D., Liao, T. C., Smith, M. E., Schwanda Sosik, V., & Williams, K. (2013). "Limiting, leaving, and (re) lapsing: An exploration of Facebook non-use practices and experiences.". In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. New York, NY: ACM. pp. 3257–3266. https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2466446.
- ↑ "Quit Social Media, Dr. Cal Newport". TEDxTrysons. 2016-09-19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E7hkPZ-HTk. Retrieved 2018-04-01.
- ↑ Mainwaring, S. D., Chang, M. F., & Anderson, K. (2004). "Infrastructures and their discontents: Implications for ubicomp". In Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing. Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag.. pp. 418–432.
- ↑ "New Digital Practices of Decentralization–Interview with Geert Lovink". networkcultures.org. 2017-09-19. http://networkcultures.org/geert/2017/09/19/valuable-networks-interview-with-geert-lovink/. Retrieved 2018-04-01.
- ↑ Baumer, E. P., Guha, S., Quan, E., Mimno, D., & Gay, G. K. (2015). "Missing photos, suffering withdrawal, or finding freedom? How experiences of social media non-use influence the likelihood of reversion.". Social Media+Society 1 (2). doi:10.1177/2056305115614851.
- ↑ Donath, J., & Boyd, d. (2015). "Public displays of connection". SBT Technology Journal 22 (4): 71–82. doi:10.1023/B:BTTJ.0000047585.06264.cc.
- ↑ "The aesthetics of dispersed attention: An interview with German media theorist Petra Löffler". NECSUS. 2013-11-08. https://necsus-ejms.org/the-aesthetics-of-dispersed-attention-an-interview-with-german-media-theorist-petra-loffler/. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
- ↑ "Should you quit Facebook? The pros and cons of staying connected on social media". ABC News AUS. 2017-01-04. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-04/facebook-fatigue-should-you-quit-social-media/8159672. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
 |
