It is not uncommon to pass a period of utter unproductivity after a spell of intense physical or intellectual occupation. Yet, life at all stages is filled with tasks, and prolonged periods of unproductivity whether from exhaustion or inefficiency can be costly. A self-introspection of my own time management struggle reveals a behavioural pattern which I believe will be relatable to many. Procrastination seems to have taken centre-stage which is giving rise to a perpetual state of anxiety attributed to missing deadlines. Much to my chagrin, this self-awareness is no consolation as I realize the chain of events is directly related to my social media addiction and my commitment to multi-tasking. My usual confidence in my competency is somewhat shaken as I find myself unable to break free from this vicious cycle of procrastination!
I do wonder though whether it is social media itself or our inability to switch off from it that is the bigger problem? Or is it the fatigue from extending oneself too much without focusing on one single thing? We live in a parallel virtual world where the main protagonists are us and everyone else. In the olden days simple joys of life were confined to watching television, movies, listening to music, or partaking in activities with families and friends. Now, we ourselves are the actors in this virtual world, trying to show off how accomplished we are and how celebrated we are. There is this desperate urge to “see” and to be “seen”. A gentleman once narrated that our multiple social media accounts validate the two most basic emotions of human beings- narcissism and voyeurism.
A recent news caught my attention; Elon Musk’s Starlink has surpassed connecting three million customers in over 99 countries and has now entered the remote villages in Amazon rainforest for the first time. Whilst most of us have had decades to deal with the impacts of the internet, the tribes in the rainforest are only now catching up on digital mis/information, video games, connectivity to other villages, movies, so on and so forth. Elderly people in some of the communities that are dependent on hunting and fishing are finding this new intrusion detrimental to their livelihoods. Tribal leaders are encountering laziness amongst their men and youth. They have already imposed a limited time access to internet usage to ensure the daily work is carried out.
I wonder, if such a condition is implemented in our daily lives, what havoc it will create? Undoubtedly, there will be huge uproar since people even refuse to be in places with poor Wi-Fi connection! It will be a deal breaker for most people as almost everyone is obsessed with constantly checking their newsfeed, their multiple platforms of messages and providing updates. However, the hours in our lives are a finite number and since we seldom hold ourselves accountable for the time wasted, it might come in as rude shock if we add up the hours spent on such frivolous distractions to derive short-term gratification.
Has anyone noticed how “binge watching” our favourite sitcoms have now given way to the trend of “binge reeling”? Okay, so the term “binge reeling” does not exist, my gen Z daughter corrected me that it is called “doom scrolling.” Friends in our network are always sharing funny reels and while watching those we inevitably scroll down to watch more, then reshare new reels with a different or same set of friends! Mind you, if the reel surpasses twenty seconds (I might be wrong) then it is deemed too long. While we engage in this ceaseless pastime, again we rarely observe the mindless hours wasted on this obsession. And now, it is becoming increasingly difficult to watch a whole movie or show, as it involves “too much” time commitment and focus; people would rather enjoy the reels. This habit is inordinately affecting our attention span and is responsible for brain exhaustion.
Have we checked how the duration of our sense of contentment following an accomplishment has shortened in recent times? The world-renowned entrepreneurs always emphasize that to become successful, one must never become complacent. Be that as it may, we are still entitled to enjoy the laurels of small victories. In today’s virtual world, it is normal and important as well that we broadcast such achievements in our network. But how long does the feeling last? Within a day or two of sharing a post and garnering at least over a hundred (good enough for me!) likes or loves, we enter a period of slump. Why is our happiness and grief so short-lived? I think it is, once again, related to watching other peoples’ lives. Before the times of social media, our day-to-day interaction was restricted to only a handful of people, but now since social media network has taken precedence, the same interaction happens with many, many more people which leaves us with little space of contemplation.
The other discontent emanates from watching the lifestyles of famous people from within and outside our social orbit. We constantly covet to attain possessions that are unnecessary. The past generations enjoyed a deep sense of contentment from their hard-earned achievements, nowadays it is reckoned untrendy to not be constantly competitive to work towards higher goals. But can anyone actually quantitatively define how much is enough? The Dutchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson, was once attributed with the phrase- “You can never be too thin or too rich”. The virtual world literally seems to adhere to that; every individual must look a certain way to avoid getting shamed; must own riches that are bigger than the others in their network; must take holidays in places that will look grander than their friends’. The list is endless, and it really seems we live and do things only to put up a better post on our social media. Are we truly experiencing anything or simply playing the lead role for our Facebook or Instagram handle? Even the most unobtrusive person can project themselves to be an extroverted socialite.
What about the unfiltered and unhealthy trolling we attract? Gone are the days of the old-world decency where people would withhold from giving harsh opinions. Terrorizing, threatening, stigmatizing, shaming, bullying is impacting the newer generation psychologically. Did we prepare them to cope with such vitriols coming from people who play no significant roles in their lives and yet are able to affect their mental well-being?
The virtual world has been disruptive to say the least and has broadened our horizon to limitless possibilities. We need to discipline ourselves to use it moderately and avoid letting it take over our lives as it has done. There are many people out there who applaud themselves for taking the wisest decision of not subscribing to a social media account which enabled them to utilize their time more productively. Digital platforms have been the greatest facilitator of prosperity in recent times, but it is also generating a behavior of seeking instant gratification, followed by a feeling of withdrawal and an incessant feeling of discontent. Social scientists need to intervene and generate awareness with remedies to break this cycle. There is a reason why we have the five senses. Happiness will always be short-lived if we fail to touch, taste, smell, hear, and see what is around us. There is no shortcut in life and ultimately life needs to be lived through shared experiences and empathy. Very few are destined to become great but let that not rob us from feeling the sense of contentment that is owed to us, because that is ultimately the true essence of living a full life.
Dr Maliha Mannan Ahmed is the Executive Editor of The Coronal and is the Founder and MD of Organikare Ltd. She has an MBBS, MBA, and a Master’s in Health Care Leadership.