How Doom-Scrolling, Insta-Somnia and Influencers Ruin Your Mental Health

By Refiloe Phoku, additional reporting by Thandile Nkoyi

Getting quality sleep is essential for proper functioning throughout the day. But did you know that you might be messing up your sleep schedule with those quick scrolls on X or Insta right before bed?

Sleep disturbances, distractions, and unproductivity are some of the ways social media could be harmful for your well-being.

This is the second part of a two-part series on the harmful effects of unregulated social media use.

First up, let’s talk sleep…

Sleep disturbances

Have you ever wondered why you feel sleepy at night when it is dark and quiet? It is because darkness is your brain’s cue to release melatonin, also known as the sleep hormone.

Melatonin is responsible for timing your sleep and circadian rhythm, which you can think of as your body’s internal clock that helps your body calm down and relax when it is time to sleep (later in the day for most people) and restore energy levels when it is time to wake up and go work on those assignments you’ve probably been avoiding (or whatever you have lined up for the day).

One study found that exposure to the bright light coming from computer and mobile screens closer to bedtime disrupts the release of this hormone, which may lead to irregular sleep patterns.

This is not the whole story, though. The type of content you’re scrolling through and how long you’re on these platforms also impact your sleep. Scrolling through social media keeps the brain active, which is not ideal when you need to get some Zzzs.

There is no hard rule about how long before bed you should ‘unplug’ from your devices, but sleep experts recommend at least two hours.

A dream career?

A survey by Morning Consult in the US revealed that “about 86% of young Americans surveyed said they’re willing to try out influencing on their social media platforms — and 12% of young people said they already considered themselves one”.

Online influencing has grown to be a popular career choice for many young people.

Now please remember, we’re not in the business of telling anyone they can’t do anything.

But with over half of Gen-Zers having social media influencing as their aspired career choice, and considering that success is not guaranteed for everyone, it has to be a calculated move. It is a highly competitive industry.

According to Ryan Hilliard of HypeAuditor, an influencer analytics company, someone would need to have 1 million followers on social media to make influencing a full-time career.

“Less than 1%” ever achieve that. It’s just too hard, there’s too many other people doing similar stuff,” he told NPR.

And we’re all about overcoming all the odds and all, but keeping things realistic will serve you just as well.

If it is something you’re good at and love, maybe have a great talent for, and would like to try it out, then go for it. But also have a Plan B in place.

The final boss of unproductivity 

That time spent scrolling has to come from somewhere. Scrolling for hours on end on the socials can be a massive time-drainer.

To all the students; let’s face it, folks. You’ve probably spent time browsing through YouTube and saving videos to your “Watch Later” playlist which, (and let’s be honest now) you probably won’t ‘watch later’, or ever, when you know you have an assignment due in days. We’ve all been there.

Even at work, social media can hinder productivity as scrolling on social media during work hours can lead to employee disengagement and decreased productivity, wrote Jack Kelly, for Forbes.

If your work involves spending some time on social media, then you might be off the hook.

But what won’t get you off the hook is checking on your favourite influencers and what they’re getting up to, or listening to your favourite podcasts when you should be working or doing your school stuff. Now that’s a problem.

Break the loop

Try to limit time spent mindlessly scrolling online, which may be easier said than done.

Kelly suggests adding some friction by logging out of accounts, so it will take time to log back in, and rather than impulsively going to your favourite sites, switch up your habits.

You can go for a walk, read a book, go see a friend, and add some barriers between you and your phone for some time.

Mandela University Information Technology and Cybersecurity expert Prof Noluxolo Gcaza recommends “engaging in offline activities, such as spending time with loved ones or pursuing hobbies”. She also advises staying clear of digital activity or content that might stir up negative emotions.

That involves observing what accounts you follow, what content they share, and how that affects you.

Addiction Rehab also recommends setting clear boundaries and allocating specific times for social media use. You can also use apps such as Digital Wellbeing to track your usage and set time limits.

Check out the first part of this series here.

This article was originally published by Khulani!, a youth media project by the Department of Media and Communication of Nelson Mandela University, based in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape.