I was thinking back to a few weeks ago when Instagram got hacked and it seemed like for many that the world was coming to an end. Those who relied heavily on social media couldn't promote their businesses or brand. They weren't able to see people lust over their photos or memes. For many, it honestly messed up their entire day.

In my line of work, we also rely on social media. For us, it is a way to utilize other forms of promotion to help spread the word about our radio stations. But I don't believe that I honestly missed it at the end of the day. If you are someone whose days are extremely affected because of your not being able to get online for the day, this could lead to a bigger problem and that could be that you may have an addiction. Maybe not to pharmaceutical drugs or alcohol, but social media could very well be an addiction that you may want to seek help for.

1. The First Thing You Do In The Morning Is Check Social Media

Before you meditate, drink your coffee, or speak to your significant other, you're on your phone checking out social media. Maybe you live alone and have no one to speak to in the morning. What about taking this time to have a quiet moment to yourself. Think about what you may want to accomplish today or even the rest of the week. Sometimes that alone time is the moment you should cherish before you indulge in the world of everyone else.

2. You Check Social Media During The Work Day

As I mentioned before my job calls for many of us to utilize social media as a means of promotion. I actually use it to post motivational quotes or pictures with celebrities that I encounter. But if you are at work and instead of having lunch or maybe leaving your desk or workspace for a moment to socialize with those who are around you. You very well may have a small addiction to social media as you obviously have a problem with being social.

3. You're almost on the brink of an anxiety attack when You Can't Check Your Social Media

If your day is ruined if you are not able to get on social media, this could be the lead to a bigger problem. If it's one thing we should know by now it is that computers are not hacker-proof and mishaps will happen. If along the way you lose all reasoning to a machine error or the fact that things happen, uyou may want to consider talking to someone about some alternatives to social media.

4. You're Always Checking Your Post to See the Feedback

You just did a post and within a couple of minutes, you're checking for likes or comments. You don't see anything and within a few more minutes you check back again. If this is you, you may have an addiction. The one thing that I learned about social media is that it may take a while before you get a response. Some could be instantaneous and others may be days. It's all about algorithms and how it may perform and who it may be reaching. Don't think that because you are not getting a response that people aren't seeing your stuff, don't take it literally, some people are browsing and simply aren't clicking.

5. You are Almost OCD When it Comes to Planning Your Post

Are you one of those who think about the very time of the day to make a post? Are you almost doing research on what you are going to post about? This could very well be a small problem. There is so much living to do, but if you are not able to enjoy it because you are timing, planning, and plotting on every post you want to make on social media. You may need to count to 10 and put the phone down.

6. You Think You Hearing Your Phone Giving Notifications When It's Not

You are sitting in your office with the music loud and you think you're hearing your phone buzz or chime when it's just a sound in the music. I have not had the problem but if you literally are holding on to your phone waiting for it to give you a notification of a like or comment. This could be a problem. Or you may want to get your ears checked because obviously, you are hearing things.

7. You're Putting Personal Hobbies and Friends on the Back Burner Because of Your Obsessiveness to Scroll

Remember the song TLC "What About Your Friends"? This is the exact sentiment when you are so engulfed in social media that you start putting off the exercises, hikes, or outings with friends because you can't put the phone down. I have seen families in restaurants where they don't say one word to each other because everyone is on the phone. This is definitely a big problem that could lead to an even bigger problem in the long run.

If you are someone who has one or more of these things as a crutch, you may wanna do a social media fast. This could truly help you realize that you are missing out on so much out there because of your dependency on social media. What's sad is that many people could be reading this and still not acknowledge this as a problem when in fact there is one that needs to be addressed. Social Media is a great thing if used for the right reasons, but remember if you are someone who relies on others to give you approval of yourself, you are making a mistake. If you are comparing your life to those who are insta-famous, then there is a problem there. I know that it is easier said than done, but try and put the phone down for an hour and slowly move it to two. We all need mental clarity and just taking a little time away from the social media world could be all you need in order to realize that your life is perfect just the way it is.

 

LOOK: Just some of the photos that capture the historic year that was 2020

More From Gator 99.5