3 ms·

Frequent social media use tied to higher levels of irritability

50 points by Jimmc414 2y ago

Nasrudith 2y ago
Do the news next. The underlying cause in my experience is stupid people.
- blueflow 2y ago
  This. Social media only does make them visible.
- nikole9696 2y ago
  I agree here about the news. Anecdata: my Dad, who is in his 70s, was doing an awful lot of basically doomscrolling his news feed and just reading headlines like, all day. He was cranky, irritable, and just plain getting meaner. My Mom had a talk with him and got him to dial that way back and he's definitely got a better attitude now. He's replaced that with some games and actual reading of dead trees (thanks, Bathroom Reader)
atum47 2y ago
I like memes and I tolerate everything else. So I usually use Reddit as my main source of funnyness these days. I don't know how the algorithm that puts together my feed works but it is somewhat awful. From time to time it insists on showing me things that are going to make you mad by default. Some scammers reversing into somebody's car on the road, fights, some stupid wanna be famous tiktoker doing some stupid thing for attention... And it seems to be the norm now a days in every platform. You can no longer see things that interests you, they keep feeding you stupid things. I guess that can trigger irritability Update: typo
- fnordian_slip 2y ago
  I believe that the algorithm of most social media platforms nowadays will try to show you things that trigger an emotional response, as this will result in more engagement from you. This is not a good thing for you mental health, but maximises time spent on the platform. But with Reddit, there's no need to use the recommendation algorithm at all, as there is Reddit enhancement suite for the browser, and a couple of decent apps for mobile, which each support a filtered front-page with only the stuff you subscribe to.
  - atum47 2y ago
    Care to share a better app for mobile? I do like some of the recommendations, cause otherwise I wouldn't find them. I wish for recommendations that better align with things I upvote
    - fnordian_slip 2y ago
      I'm on android, so I can't help you with iOS. There's infinity and Reddit is fun which I've used and really liked. You might need to patch the latter with revanced nowadays, but being on this forum, you probably have that anyway in order to make YouTube usable on mobile.
- oneeyedpigeon 2y ago
  I tend to forget that Reddit even has a feed, I just go to subreddits directly. I definitely agree that automated feeds are a huge concern, maybe the biggest downside of social media. This is why I'm currently a fan of Bluesky: chronological posts from people I follow, just what I always wanted.
  - baggachipz 2y ago
    Yeah, for now. Profit motive will eventually force them to enshittify. I hope I'm wrong, but history suggests otherwise.
dgfitz 2y ago
Isn't a common symptom of mild withdraw from <something>, irritably? Quitting nicotine, alcohol, etc. people become more irritable. This seems so obvious to me I must be missing something. The apps are designed to be literally addictive.
- Thorrez 2y ago
  Is there any withdrawal going on? The study looked at people who use social media frequently, and people who don't use social media frequently. It didn't specifically look at people who recently quit using social media.
  - dgfitz 2y ago
    I think withdraw isn't from quitting... it's from not getting "a hit" before symptoms set in. I figured this was implied.
    - Thorrez 2y ago
      I guess your point is that frequent social media users are in a constant state of withdrawal because the second they stop using it, they go into withdrawal. Is that what happens with smokers/drinkers? Are smokers/drinkers considered to be in a constant state of withdrawal? I always thought withdrawal symptoms happen when someone tries to quit. I didn't think they happen constantly.
      - dgfitz 2y ago
        Short answer, yes.
redeux 2y ago
Last November I made a commitment to myself to avoid social media and the news and I've noticed a very positive impact on my outlook and demeanor. The only social media I've consumed since then has been HN, but even then I've found myself becoming more irritable as topics I'd rather not think about have started to come in. In fact, dang asked me to reign it back just yesterday because that irritability has started to come through in my comments here. So, now I find myself in a position where I have to start cutting back on or removing HN as well, which honestly sucks, because I want to interact with people online in a meaningful way, but I'm also having a problem not engaging on divisive topics that I feel strongly about. Somewhat related - I was just thinking this morning how I wish I could have a phone that only did calls, text, GPS, and music without any of the other distractions. I think I would be much happier if I had something like that.
- furstenheim 2y ago
  Yeah, I want a phone like that. There's definitely a market
  - vdjskshi 2y ago
    I'm on the waitlist for a Minimal Phone and am hopeful that will help my phone-related compulsions. I can doom scroll HN to the last page on my phone, but I never do that on a computer. https://www.minimalcompany.com/ https://www.minimalcompany.com/
    - redeux 2y ago
      Thank you for this, I'm strongly considering adding myself to the queue.
- baggachipz 2y ago
  > Last November I made a commitment to myself to avoid social media and the news and I've noticed a very positive impact on my outlook and demeanor. You and me both, life is much less stressful if you ignore all the useless theater that permeates our society now. > I was just thinking this morning how I wish I could have a phone that only did calls, text, GPS, and music without any of the other distractions. You should be able to do that by just uninstalling all the apps that contribute to that? If you're on an iPhone, you can disable Apple News notifications, etc. I refuse to have any Google or Meta apps installed on my phone, and it helps greatly. I use Lemmy but have a very curated list of communities I visit. Even then I have to step away sometimes and avoid the "all" feed at all costs.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
new_user_final 2y ago
Disable your YouTube search and watch history. Disabling history will also disable YouTube homepage recommendations and YouTube shorts. You can watch videos by searching or videos from subscribed channels (sorted by new). This has saved me countless hours. I have also deleted Twitter and decided that I don't need so much news updates about things that I may or may not care.

50 points by Jimmc414 2y ago

Nasrudith 2y ago

Do the news next. The underlying cause in my experience is stupid people.

blueflow 2y ago
This. Social media only does make them visible.
nikole9696 2y ago
I agree here about the news. Anecdata: my Dad, who is in his 70s, was doing an awful lot of basically doomscrolling his news feed and just reading headlines like, all day. He was cranky, irritable, and just plain getting meaner. My Mom had a talk with him and got him to dial that way back and he's definitely got a better attitude now. He's replaced that with some games and actual reading of dead trees (thanks, Bathroom Reader)

atum47 2y ago

I like memes and I tolerate everything else. So I usually use Reddit as my main source of funnyness these days. I don't know how the algorithm that puts together my feed works but it is somewhat awful. From time to time it insists on showing me things that are going to make you mad by default. Some scammers reversing into somebody's car on the road, fights, some stupid wanna be famous tiktoker doing some stupid thing for attention... And it seems to be the norm now a days in every platform. You can no longer see things that interests you, they keep feeding you stupid things. I guess that can trigger irritability Update: typo

fnordian_slip 2y ago
I believe that the algorithm of most social media platforms nowadays will try to show you things that trigger an emotional response, as this will result in more engagement from you. This is not a good thing for you mental health, but maximises time spent on the platform. But with Reddit, there's no need to use the recommendation algorithm at all, as there is Reddit enhancement suite for the browser, and a couple of decent apps for mobile, which each support a filtered front-page with only the stuff you subscribe to.
- atum47 2y ago
  Care to share a better app for mobile? I do like some of the recommendations, cause otherwise I wouldn't find them. I wish for recommendations that better align with things I upvote
  - fnordian_slip 2y ago
    I'm on android, so I can't help you with iOS. There's infinity and Reddit is fun which I've used and really liked. You might need to patch the latter with revanced nowadays, but being on this forum, you probably have that anyway in order to make YouTube usable on mobile.
oneeyedpigeon 2y ago
I tend to forget that Reddit even has a feed, I just go to subreddits directly. I definitely agree that automated feeds are a huge concern, maybe the biggest downside of social media. This is why I'm currently a fan of Bluesky: chronological posts from people I follow, just what I always wanted.
- baggachipz 2y ago
  Yeah, for now. Profit motive will eventually force them to enshittify. I hope I'm wrong, but history suggests otherwise.

dgfitz 2y ago

Isn't a common symptom of mild withdraw from <something>, irritably? Quitting nicotine, alcohol, etc. people become more irritable. This seems so obvious to me I must be missing something. The apps are designed to be literally addictive.

Thorrez 2y ago
Is there any withdrawal going on? The study looked at people who use social media frequently, and people who don't use social media frequently. It didn't specifically look at people who recently quit using social media.
- dgfitz 2y ago
  I think withdraw isn't from quitting... it's from not getting "a hit" before symptoms set in. I figured this was implied.
  - Thorrez 2y ago
    I guess your point is that frequent social media users are in a constant state of withdrawal because the second they stop using it, they go into withdrawal. Is that what happens with smokers/drinkers? Are smokers/drinkers considered to be in a constant state of withdrawal? I always thought withdrawal symptoms happen when someone tries to quit. I didn't think they happen constantly.
    - dgfitz 2y ago
      Short answer, yes.

redeux 2y ago

Last November I made a commitment to myself to avoid social media and the news and I've noticed a very positive impact on my outlook and demeanor. The only social media I've consumed since then has been HN, but even then I've found myself becoming more irritable as topics I'd rather not think about have started to come in. In fact, dang asked me to reign it back just yesterday because that irritability has started to come through in my comments here. So, now I find myself in a position where I have to start cutting back on or removing HN as well, which honestly sucks, because I want to interact with people online in a meaningful way, but I'm also having a problem not engaging on divisive topics that I feel strongly about. Somewhat related - I was just thinking this morning how I wish I could have a phone that only did calls, text, GPS, and music without any of the other distractions. I think I would be much happier if I had something like that.

furstenheim 2y ago
Yeah, I want a phone like that. There's definitely a market
- vdjskshi 2y ago
  I'm on the waitlist for a Minimal Phone and am hopeful that will help my phone-related compulsions. I can doom scroll HN to the last page on my phone, but I never do that on a computer. https://www.minimalcompany.com/ https://www.minimalcompany.com/
  - redeux 2y ago
    Thank you for this, I'm strongly considering adding myself to the queue.
baggachipz 2y ago
> Last November I made a commitment to myself to avoid social media and the news and I've noticed a very positive impact on my outlook and demeanor. You and me both, life is much less stressful if you ignore all the useless theater that permeates our society now. > I was just thinking this morning how I wish I could have a phone that only did calls, text, GPS, and music without any of the other distractions. You should be able to do that by just uninstalling all the apps that contribute to that? If you're on an iPhone, you can disable Apple News notifications, etc. I refuse to have any Google or Meta apps installed on my phone, and it helps greatly. I use Lemmy but have a very curated list of communities I visit. Even then I have to step away sometimes and avoid the "all" feed at all costs.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

new_user_final 2y ago

Disable your YouTube search and watch history. Disabling history will also disable YouTube homepage recommendations and YouTube shorts. You can watch videos by searching or videos from subscribed channels (sorted by new). This has saved me countless hours. I have also deleted Twitter and decided that I don't need so much news updates about things that I may or may not care.