Can a marketer switch off from social media in 2020? Four things I learnt from a digital detox

People close to me know how much I have a love/hate relationship with social media. It’s been part of my life for around 15 years. My favourite platform is Twitter, followed by LinkedIn. Facebook Groups have improved the platform immensely for me personally in the last 12 months and I’ve taken a step back from posting personally on Instagram.

As a journalist-turned-marketer who embraces technology and news, I find it hard to switch off from social. We all know 2020 has been a tumultuous year and the toxicity of social media has reached a new high. With COVID-19, the US presidential election, racial inequality, Brexit and cancel culture, this year has been extreme.

With the timing of World Mental Health Day 2020 and a prevalence of articles and documentaries about the reality of social media addiction, I knew I had to do something differently to regain some balance to my mental health. 

Recently I took some time off work, went on holiday and decided to do a full social media detox for a week and a half. Here’s what I learnt:

1. Doom scrolling is dangerous

I was doing this long before I realised it had a name. Doom scrolling is playing havoc on our mental health. It’s when we keep scrolling even though much of what we consume is depressing or distressing. It’s a worrying habit which has evolutionary roots and is worse during the COVID-19 era because we are hypervigilant for danger.

I spent some time thinking about how continuous scrolling makes me feel and I realised that rarely do I ever feel better than I did before I started scrolling. I realised that the constant feed of negativity was having a bad impact on my moods.

2. I went from a full mind to a quiet mind

Before I took a break, my mind was overloaded. Thoughts were racing through my mind, I was easily distracted and I felt worn down. Here are some words I’d use to describe my mind before I switched off:

• Buzzing

• Distracted

• Quick to anger

• Judgemental

• Tired

These words describe my mind at the end of the detox:

• Clear

• Quiet

• Calm

• Present

• Engaged

3. We need to move from passive consumption to active consumption

I don’t think people realise how passive our social media consumption is. We think we are fully in control and conscious of what we are doing, but the subconscious reflex we have to pick up our phone due to variable reward schedules says otherwise.

This Harvard article says:

“Variable reward schedules were introduced by psychologist B.F. Skinner in the 1930’s. In his experiments, he found that mice respond most frequently to reward-associated stimuli when the reward was administered after a varying number of responses, precluding the animal’s ability to predict when they would be rewarded.

“Humans are no different; if we perceive a reward to be delivered at random, and if checking for the reward comes at little cost, we end up checking habitually (e.g. gambling addiction). If you pay attention, you might find yourself checking your phone at the slightest feeling of boredom, purely out of habit. Programmers work very hard behind the screens to keep you doing exactly that.”

— Trevor Haynes, Harvard Medical School

I used to check social out of boredom often and it is a tough habit to break. The first step is to be present, mindful and become conscious of what I’m doing and if I’ve strayed from my original intention.

4. Structure and discipline is the way forward

Breaking a habit needs discipline and structure, so I’ve set a few ground rules about how I want to use social:

• I installed Cold Turkey blocker and I set it to block certain sites during the workday, only switching it off a few times a day 

• I don’t check Twitter first thing in the morning until I’ve done my morning routine and accomplished the first thing on my to-do list. Same before I go to bed - no pre-sleep doom scrolling

• I’m aiming to set time limits for checking social and stick to them. Top personal development coaches recommend setting time limits for social media consumption. I follow Brendon Burchard who has a guide to help maintain balance

• I’m planning to coach clients on how to prioritise time spent on social media so their business benefits from more effective marketing tactics 

I’ve also started reading New York Times Bestseller Digital Minimalism, whose author Cal Newport has no social media accounts.

So what’s the answer?

To answer the question I posed at the beginning - can a marketer switch off from social media in 2020? - the answer is no. Not completely anyway. As a marketer I need to understand the platforms I work on. A workman needs to know which tools are right for the job and be able to complete the job - marketing is no different.

It’s about forming a conscious awareness of how I’m consuming social media. Keeping in mind what my original goal was when I logged on: did I want to share a thought, check for updates or message someone? My aim is to train my mind and gain better discipline so my brain stays sharp and my mind stays clear. 

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I am a triple award-winning marketer with almost a decade of experience helping brands grow their presence and results online. I work with small to medium sized businesses who value growing profit as much as they value creating impact.

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