Prof. Newport at Georgetown University says, "the harms of social media to your career are being underemphasized." [1]. Social media can be hugely distracting, killing creativity -- but *worse* is addictive along with other technology [2]. Some of the smartest brains in the world design these app to keep us engaged. While my Egyptian friends credit Facebook for their Arabian Spring, it harms children's language and communication development. For Adults, it is a time sink of around 4 hours a day on average. The irony is that the more time you spend, the worse you might feel [3].
Alter's advice -- author of Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping us Hooked -- to technology addiction by picking up a screen-free time for some part of the day [2]. I only do Facebook for promoting my pet project budgetnow [4], but suffering the ills of a mechanical life, and actively looking for ways out. Radio is one escape, audio books while commuting is another.
[1] Social media is damaging your career, CBC 10m
[2] Why technology is addictive and what to do about it, CBC 27m
[3] The More You Use Facebook, the Worse You Feel, Harvard Business Review
[4] budgetnow.ca: A fast, free and anonymous budgeting system.
