Like many people in my generation, I’ve grown to thoroughly enjoy and appreciate the art of social media. I’ve dabbled in many apps, ranging all the way from KiK at 10 years old (what some would call a formative experience), Tumblr at 14, TikTok at 18, Instagram at 20, amongst many others. Recently, I’ve started to feel a draw towards the REAL WORLD! Who could’ve thought real-life conversations and nature would feel so fulfilling?? But I know it’s easier said than done.Â
We’ve grown so accustomed to the technologies surrounding us, it’s like our phone is a third arm. With social media, we’re able to connect with people all around the world, which is a hard thing to give up! Additionally, with all the hustle and bustle of college life, it’s great to be able to shut off your mind and just scroll for hours on end, not thinking about anything else. To make it easier to disconnect, some apps have started offering TIME LIMITS! With these features, one can set up a certain amount of time they’re allowed on the app per day. After that time has passed, they receive a warning that time’s up and they should close the app. Nice idea, right? Right!
If only you weren’t given the choice to just ignore the limit.
I haven’t tried this feature with other apps, but I know Instagram allows you to keep adding 5 or 15 minutes, or to simply ignore the limit altogether. What’s the point of a limit if I can simply click a button and disable it? This is the illusion of choice – it takes a lot of brainpower to ACTUALLY turn off the app when the “ignore limit” button is staring you right in the face and you’re just so bored. As I mentioned before, these devices have become too big a part of our lives to give us that choice. We’ll always choose to ignore the limit. I’ve even heard of people downloading OTHER APPS that actually hide the social media apps on your screen, blocking you from accessing them, but at that point, it’s just so innefficient.
To make this feature better, even though it may be a little too 1984 for some people’s taste, apps need to actually enforce the limit. Your one hour is done, you’re done. No five more minutes (that always turns out to be an hour instead). No ignoring it. If we can’t enforce boundaries on ourselves, the software should enforce it for us. Over time, our brains will stop being frustrated with it and just learn to better manage our time online. Overall, real life is a lot better than our online worlds, so let’s ACTUALLY listen to our time limits and get outside. It’ll be cold soon, so enjoy it while you can!