We are a few hours away from turning the page of another year, 2023 is leaving, leaving us its lessons for better and worse and for us to rethink what we have done until today. Surely you have already thought about new resolutions for the coming year, you have proposed challenges and objectives, and you have in mind some things to start or change in 2024. You are about to start with renewed strength next year and it is time to change habits little beneficial for better ones.
One of the bad habits that we usually do not consider is the excessive use of social networks, the smartphone for entertainment purposes. We tend to think that it is a problem of adolescents who cannot control themselves, who share and consume content to bond with their peers. However, although it pains us to admit it, adults of all ages could also be victims of this evil.
Although social networks are a fundamental part of life as digital users, unconscious access without a time limit can be harmful. On the one hand, we leave aside other more important activities, which leads us to procrastination. On the other hand, it entails a loss of reality about our lives and those of others. Mirages are built in networks; We only represent what we expect others to see and we arrange our lives accordingly. Travel, luxuries, love, experiences: the networks are full of fiction, because, ultimately, they do not reflect the entirety of a person’s life.
Although social networks take up a good part of our time, it doesn’t hurt to set limits and exercise greater control over our preferences. Most of the controls to determine them are available on the platforms, but the algorithms tend to show us content similar to that with which we interact the most or that we see most frequently. Have you seen ten cat videos? You’ll get twenty more. So, if you use social networks for restricted purposes, you are likely to find yourself in a dead-end loop, consuming content of a restricted nature as well.
Taking some beneficial actions to regulate the use of social networks and their effects leads us to reconsider the time we spend on them. First of all, it is enough to set a limit on screen time that can be configured on the cell phone or directly in the applications. It is good to be aware of what we do on networks and avoid automation; Alarms help and think about which networks you will use considering the activities each one offers. Do you follow friends and family? Do you consume entertainment content? Are you looking to learn something? Are you going to find out the news of the day? Do you want to connect with colleagues? Depending on your answers, you can prioritize which social networks interest you most and define how much time to spend on each one.
But perhaps what helps the most is to diversify our actions in web 2.0, get the most out of your cell phone, computer or tablet, exploiting more possibilities and knowing what you can do in addition to watching social networks, studying or working. Firstly, you can learn something new by simply searching for information on topics that you are curious about and trying to ask questions. Over time, discriminating information becomes easier and easier.
There are also a large number of tutorials, platforms that offer free courses, applications dedicated to teaching languages, free books, audiobooks, podcasts, pages that allow you to evaluate your progress in an activity, among others. You may also start a project, such as writing a blog or creating a vlog. You don’t have to address something specific or important; Just share an anecdote or talk about what you want, that will allow you to dedicate time to yourself. You can learn to use new tools, learn about platforms that use AI and even take singing courses. Is there something you’ve always wanted to do and haven’t done yet? Maybe the answer is on the web.
Whatever your resolutions, I wish you a happy New Year!