10 warning signs of social media addiction

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I just survived an entire weekend without social media.

{Gasp.}

There was a time in my life when I didn’t think I could do it.

Yet the honey-sweet flavor of social media addiction ironically smacks a bitter after-taste.

NOTE:  This is not a legalistic post about how everyone should quit Facebook.  I realize we live in the 21st century.

There are good things about social media:

Connection with old friends and distant family;  sharing pictures with grandma and grandpa, and broadcasting important messages (such as what you had for dinner).

But we’ve reached a point where the sublime intersects the ridiculous.

You know the old Jeff Foxworthy videos,

You might be a redneck…??

 

Let’s put a spin on that phrase…

Quirky signs of social media addiction

1.)  When Facebook Becomes The First Thing You Check In The Morning,

Ya might be a social media addict.

2.)  When you check Twitter 25 times per day

Ya might be a social media addict.

3.)  When you get angry with the kids for interrupting your perfect Instagram selfie

Ya might be – well, you know…

See this flower photo on Instagram?  It’s gone viral because everyone is obsessed with its color contrast, rustic truck, and wide-open spaces.

Admittedly, it’s pleasant to the eyes.

Photo credit: Buzzfeed.com

But remember when we used to step outside and pick flowers?

Back in the ’90s, we snapped pictures of our kids, sent them off to York Photos, and waited two weeks before eagerly ripping open envelopes full of bad shots, which we retrieved from a thing they call The Mail Box.

Now, we devote our time to taking the perfect selfie.

(Seriously – who needs pictures of our kids when we can just take pics of ourselves and post them everywhere?)

(Priorities, people.)

(Also – be sure to use the Hefe setting so your coffee pic looks extra steamy.)

Is this real life???

When did we start hardcore pretending about everything?

>>Tweaking our pics to make sure we don’t appear to have double chins. (Guilty.)

>>Taking beautiful photos of our houses to portray our perfect lives.

>>Appearing to live completely different than the rest of the world’s crumby kitchen counters and trash-filled cans.

Because that benefits everyone, obviously.

Do you ever get jealous because someone’s Facebook life seems idyllic?

 

We used to look at what people wore or drove in order to get our jealousy fits.

Now, it’s right at our fingertips, in the form of a smartphone.

Oh, we don’t mean to.

We don’t set out to think,

Oh hey, let’s see who I can be more jealous of today or who’s life I’d rather have.

 

It’s not our primary intention to cultivate jealousy.

But that’s how we’re ending up.

Did somebody say FOMO?

(Fear Of Missing Out.)

I’m preaching to myself here too, sista.  The wounds are real – and they’re not pretty.

Electronic communication forms such as social networks provide a natural breeding ground for activities designed to help people seek attention and gain approval from others. They also provide a foundation for feelings of rejection and dismay when people feel they are less popular than others, or worse, that they are being rejected by their peers.  Lifewire.com,  Social Media Anxiety; Definition and Overview

Subtle warning signs of social media addiction

4.)  If you’re afraid someone’s going to type up a Facebook post about a current event before you get to

You might have a jealousy problem.

(Aka social media addict.)

5.)  If you’re itching to post the most gorgeous picture of your brand new car/outfit/mason jar collection before your friend posts hers

You might have a jealousy problem.

6.)  And if all you can think about is throwing that first artfully sized Scripture graphic up to get the most likes, comments, and tweets –

You definitely have a jealousy problem.

(And, I don’t know – maybe we shouldn’t use God’s Word in vain either?!)

Sure warning signs of social media addiction

7.)  When you can’t go one hour without checking social media

8.)  When you can’t go out to dinner without checking social media

9.)  When you can’t go one day without checking social media

10.)  When you can’t hold full conversations with the people in your home without checking social media

You have a social media addiction.

If God made a Facebook post

We were created to glorify God.  But we tend to place certain areas of our lives off-limits to God without realizing it.  If God were to comment on Facebook, I feel like He’d say something to stir our hearts toward Him.

Maybe something like this:

Cleanse me from secret faults and presumptuous sins.

Don’t let them have dominion over me.  

Instead, let my words and heart meditation be acceptable in Your sight

Oh Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer.  Psalm 19:12-14

Dear mom, I ask you – Is social media your strength?

Do you get a surge every time your Instagram account grows?  Maybe you’re obsessing over losing too many Twitter followers.

Your Redeemer is waiting.

He’s paused – ready to be your Strength.

But you have to listen.

And how can we listen when our minds are full?

The voices in our head are saying,

“Like” this post so other people will like me.

 

Really?

How ’bout we kneel before our loving Father and bask in His unconditional love instead?

How about we go outside and pick some flowers and appreciate their Creator.

(I realize it’s 20 degrees in some parts of the country – to build a snowman.)

Or what if we take just one picture of our kids painting the bathroom floor in poop and call it a day?

Because that’s real life.

Let’s get back to it, shall we?

What do you think?  Do you have a social media addiction?

*Here’s another post on the subject by The Hallway Initiative, called, Why I said Goodbye to Social Media that you may find helpful!

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Ready to declutter your mind?

If you’re still trying to process how to go about 2017 and get your mind uncluttered, you can join the 31-Day Clutter-free Mind Challenge here.  And remember the five secrets to a clutter-free life.  Let some of your stuff go.  Focus on one thing at a time.  Enlist a partner, and next time you decide to either make a purchase or add an activity to your already full schedule (and home), practice saying no!

Nobody can do all of the things.  After all, we’ve only got 24 hours in a day, and a girl’s gotta sleep sometime, right?

Practice discernment in 2017 and breakthrough to a clutter-free life and home!  I’m making space for things that matter.

How about you?

Details for the 31-Days to a Clutter-free Mind Challenge:

1.)  Sign up here

2.)  Receive 7 emails (one per day) for a total of one week

3.)  Complete each task each day and then

4.)  Report your progress in the closed Facebook accountability group

5.)  Enjoy support and accountability from the group, as well as Facebook encouragement 

6.)  That’s it!  This is a SIMPLE challenge.  No fluff.  No long emails.  Just brief practical encouragement from Scripture and tested life lessons.

Are you ready to accept the challenge to declutter your mind and find time for the things that really matter this year?

Then hop aboard the party train, mom!

31 Days to a Clutter-free Mind; Making space for the things that matter.