Because social media feed us bite-sized entertainment, we rarely think about every piece of entertainment as an investment of time. In the end, we spend hours watching countless short clips. If we asked ourselves beforehand: do I want to watch 2 hours of non-informational, meaningless clips, we would usually say NO! But social media manages to get us to do just that and often we even spend a sizeable chunk of that time watching advertisements…
This is why I decided to limit my YouTube consumption on my phone to one hour a day by setting a timer for it. This does not mean I will watch the full hour every day but makes sure I do not exceed this limit.
By limiting time spent on social media I give myself the chance to change my habits. If I sit on public transportation or if I am waiting for something, I do not default to social media but will more often do some vocab revision or read a book. When at home, I more often choose to play the guitar or watch a movie instead of drowning myself in subpar entertainment.
This is not to say there aren’t many great videos, clips, or tweets out there. They are, but limiting my time on social media simply makes sure I do not waste my time on anything that I do not particularly want to watch. I would not be surprised if, at the end of the day, I spend more time watching good content on social media, not less.
It seems like the lack of commitment needed for short clips bypasses our self-regulation, because “it’s only a few minutes”. Just reflecting on our behavior afterward can already help us make sure we behave in our own best interest. The stoics and Confucianists recommended daily examination of our behavior. If this is done, aimless time-wasting is easily spotted and replaced by more fun or more productive behaviors.
Conclusion
If we stay mindful of our social media consumption and make sure we are conscious of the time we spend watching or reading small bits of entertainment, we make more conscientious decisions and allow ourselves to direct our attention in the most useful or enjoyable direction. But there is nothing wrong with watching a silly clip or two every once in a while 😉
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