Ryan Lopano Blog

A social media detox is a great way to get someone unaddicted to something that is, in hindsight, very addictive. Apps like Instagram, TikTok, X (formerly known as Twitter), and others have algorithms designed specifically to keep you on the app and to keep scrolling. As Johann Hari puts it in “Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention”, “The algorithm they actually use varies all the time, but it has one key driving principle that is consistent. It shows you things that will keep you looking at your screen.” This was recently popularized with the short-form content system that has been popularized by TikTok. Since then, every single app has come out with its own version of it: Instagram and Facebook have Reels, YouTube has Shorts, and Snapchat has Spotlight. With these 10 to 30-second videos, you are meant to constantly keep scrolling. Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention explains that this system “hacks our focus by triggering our impulses, not our intentions.” This is very different from a site like YouTube or streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, or HBO Max, where the user has to actually click on what they want to watch. In addition, everything on those platforms is long-form videos or movies.

For my detox, I decided to cut out this very short-form content that is rotting our brains. I chose this as it is something I struggle with and would be a challenge for me. One aspect I had to line up is how I was going to do this with my job. For work, I do graphic design and social media management for two hockey teams. Because of this, I couldn’t delete any of these apps. This is why I decided to only eliminate the short-form aspect of these apps.

To be honest, this challenge wasn’t as hard as I was anticipating. The week that I did this was surprisingly really busy, so I didn’t have too much time to scroll. One thing that I did miss was putting on videos as background noise. I find that I work much better when I have something playing in the background. For example, right now I am sitting in my common room with the TV on. But for the week, I decided to use music as a replacement for the reels I usually used. Besides that, the challenge to not scroll wasn’t really an issue. The only time I found myself wanting to scroll was when I was bored or tired/unmotivated from work. These times, I just wanted to turn my brain off and enjoy myself. After realizing what I was doing, I realized this was a really inefficient way to spend my time and prevented myself from continuing.

Johann Hari explains this great by saying, “When you stop stimulating your brain with constant input, it begins to heal, you start to remember what real attention feels like.” Overall, I am really glad that I did this. Going a week without being on social media made it pretty obvious what these companies are doing. These addictive apps are made to keep us on their site, and we more times than not just follow along. In Hari’s words, “It’s not your fault you can’t focus. It’s by design. Your distraction is their fuel.” Even though I don’t plan to keep going with this detox, I plan to try to find ways not to distract myself when I work.