Social media may be one of the most popular things to do on the Internet. Most everyone has a Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram or Vine account. Whether people use these networks once a day or 15 times a day, they are connected. Checking your Facebook or Twitter account can be a daily morning routine right along with making a cup of coffee or watching the morning news.
There are many studies and articles about the addiction of social media and how to "nip the addiction." Which makes us wonder? Is quitting social media harder than starting a new food diet? Not saying that being on social media or eating is unhealthy for you, but doing too much of both of these things could cause issues in your life. According to Nielsen, "As of July 2012, the total time spent accessing and engaging in social media sites has increased 37 percent in the U.S., representing 121 billion minutes (up from 88 billion minutes the year before)."
Emotions play a large role in both of these categories. People tend to pour their emotions and what they feel onto their social media pages just like using food to cure certain emotions. We have all seen status' they may be a little too personal to share with your whole Facebook community. Even though some people may enjoy knowing updates about your life, it could be taken too far with relationship, friendships and even family issues that you are dealing with. An alternative to sharing intimate feelings on social media would be to write a blog. Blogs have a subscription option that allows people to sign up to read and get updates on blogs you post. Keep your social media page light and do not over-do the drama. With food, maybe go for a walk, listen to music or jump into a fictional book to get your mind off your emotions.
Social media and food could also affect your work life. When you have a job that allows you to be on your phone or does not block social media sites on the computer, you can become very distracted and end up spending hours reading stuff on social media. Food could play a part by eating unhealthy snacks at your desk all day making you feel sluggish and cause unproductive days at work. Kicking bad habits like social media surfing at the desk or eating cookies everyday could mean getting help from a co-worker. Have them block these social media sites from your computer or keep you accountable for time spent on a platform. Also ask them to watch what you snack on during the day. This could be a buddy system if they have the same bad habits.
We will leave it up to you decide. Which would be harder to ease up on, social media or food? Maybe you have an issue with both or neither. If these two things do not affect your life, maybe try helping someone out who does seem to be a little over-obsessed.