Rationalizing Social Networking Time

I do not spend more than a total of one hour on facebook / twitter / instagram / linkedin / whatsapp combined in a day.

I'm saying this out aloud because I see people who have just completely lost focus. They are on social networking sites for hours every day. Their studies or performance at work are in a complete mess and grades / performance appraisals have nosedived to very low levels. They don't read good books any more either and neither are they pursuing interests such as music, art, sports, theater, quizzing, etc.

I see some people reaching for their smartphones every 15-20 minutes! What a breakdown of the capacity to concentrate! Their minds are fluctuating every 15-20 minutes! They're hooked and you can see them just lost in their smartphones all the time.

Talk to them and you don't see depth of thought and a sharp, clear and focused mind that's steadily making progress. They're kind of just "melting away".

This is deadly serious: I've seen people waste the most productive and energetic years of their lives due to this addiction to social networking. And time once gone never comes back. It's the worst thing to waste.

If you are in such a boat, get off it. Pull back. I emphasize again and again: Time is of essence. It's the most limited commodity we have. Draw up an agenda for your life. Work hard to achieve your goals.

No more than one hour (absolute maximum!) of social networking in a day. Be firm about this. Keep social networking in its place. You stay in control. Don't allow it to eat into your life and time.

Note 1: We need to stay very careful about what we absorb on social networking sites. Choose who you connect with or follow wisely, i.e. connect with and follow wise people. Your timeline affects you. It matters who and what shows up there - and you control that.

Remember the following:

There's a whole lot of junk floating around and there are people with all kinds of agendas. *We* need to stay sharp about what we allow to enter our heads and what not.

If we rely excessively on social networking sites for knowledge and information, we are simply making ourselves more unintelligent every day. There is just no better or more polite way to put it.

Facebook is *not* a substitute for good books. "Facing a book" is always going to be better than facebook. The same logic applies to all social networking sites. 

Needless to say, we need to make sure our own posts and tweets are wise and balanced. A very very large number of people read them and not everyone has the maturity levels we might expect.

Note 2: Remember that social networking is *not* a substitute for personal connections in the real world. Call your friends, visit them, hang out, connect deeply and strongly.

I emphasize once again as I sign off: Do not get addicted to social networking sites. I've seen people waste the most productive and energetic years of their lives due to this addiction.

Read this post a few times. Absorb it. Then make your own decision. Have a wonderful life!

[I also invite you to read: Strike a Pause: WhatsApping (strike-a-pause.blogspot.com)]