Licking the Razor's Edge (2015)

Addiction #16 – Freedom from SOCIAL MEDIA
About two-thirds of all adults online say they use some type of social media like
Facebook or Twitter, and Facebook alone currently has more than 1 billion users
worldwide – and those numbers are only growing larger each day. There is little doubt
that social media is here to stay, though, just like with any other behavior we might
engage, this development is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, it is not what we do that
harmonizes or harms us, but rather why we engage what we engage that does so.
Regardless of how “dangerous” they might appear, actions done to ease the pain of others
serve to bring us Peace. And regardless of how “harmless” they might appear, actions
that are performed to escape our own pain can easily become addictive and thereby quite
damaging … and so it is with our use of social media.
HOW SOCIAL MEDIA GETS US HOOKED
On our most primitive level, we humans are social animals, and as such possess a very
strong subconscious program that drives us to remain in groups and to “stay connected”.
Like any instinctive desire, this drive is based in a primal desire to quell our constant fear
of “danger” by enclosing ourselves in the “safety of the herd” – people who believe like
we do; people who affirm how we think; people who like how we look — essentially
people who will possibly come to our assistance if we are ever in need.
And this desire too is not “bad”, per se … It is beneficial to develop Friendships, and it
brings a measure of happiness to our lives when we immerse ourselves in intimate
fellowship with others.
Of course, the challenge with social media outlets is that they superficially soothe our
instinctive fears of being alone while providing none of the real intimacy and real
connection that are needed to truly heal the same. This fact explains a recent survey
which shows that more than half of all Americans between the ages of 18 & 34 are so
addicted to their social networks that they’d rather wait in line at the DMV, do their
taxes, sit in traffic for four hours listening to polka music, spend a night in jail, or even
endure root canal surgery than surrender their social media profile. Indeed, recent
research from the University of Chicago shows that social media outlets are more
addictive than sex, alcohol and even cigarettes.
And this makes complete sense. After all, addictions are about feeding a compelling urge,
and one of the greatest human urges is the yearning to feel connected to other humans –
to be a part of something “larger”. And nothing satisfies this particular urge better than
logging on and being social with others at any hour of the day (or night).
We keep “connecting” without really Connecting … We have hundreds and hundreds of
“friends” without becoming involved in a single real Friendship. Basically, the founding
fear that has us reaching out to Facebook & Twitter for solace not only does not go away
when we post, comment or “like”, it actually gets stronger. Essentially, the more we
grasp for love on-line, the farther real, Meaning-full Love moves away from us.
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