4 Books that Have Helped Me Cure and Overcome My Social Media Addiction

5 min readSep 22, 2022

Be mindful of the time you spend on social media and balance it with other activities.

Do you often wonder why it is so hard to avoid social media? If social media channels weren’t available, would we be better at socialization skills? How can we break from the nightmare of social media addiction? I have pondered these questions for a significant period since I realized social media was eating away my time.

I was addicted to social media, and it was hard to stay away from my smartphone for a minute. I used to spend most of the time swiping Tiktok videos, Instagram reels, and Facebook posts. I couldn’t focus on the important stuff and do anything productive.

Like me, you may be undergoing all this. The books on social media addiction below have been great in helping me to overcome this disease that was slowly creeping into my life. They have made me focus more on the better and more valuable things in my life. I bet they will be helpful to you too.

Quick Facts About Social Media Addiction

We spend 2.2 hours per day on social media (and this number increases year by year)
We use 7.5 social media platforms on average in one month
30% of our Facebook feed is paid promotion, and Meta (formerly Facebook) makes $135.9 billion per year (2022)
Not being on social media causes the fear among young adults, almost 34% of them feel they miss something (CBS)
1 of 3 divorces is caused by social media, as a result of online affairs (McKinley Irvin)
40% of young adults have poor sleep quality because of social media addiction (Sleep Foundation)

What Are The Most Eye Opening Books on Social Media Addiction?

The Little Book of Change, by Amy Johnson (2016)

This book helped me shift my perspective and appreciate the impacts of small social media changes on my day-to-day life. I could spiral about it all day. Amy shows you that when it comes to conquering social media addiction, little changes can make a huge difference.

The Little Book of Change illustrates how you can rewire your brain and overcome bad social media habits for good. I love that it emphasizes that you have the power to change your habits which I consider a fascinating perspective.

I highly appreciated how the book has a different point of view on thoughts and spirituality. It shows you that you are not your social media habits, and they do not define you. You will significantly resonate with this idea if you constantly beat yourself up about the social media dilemma.

From this book, you will realize that social media is simply a reversible brain-wiring. Putting an end to feeding the source is how you can take charge of the addiction; it all starts with taking small steps. That thought of finding out what your virtual friend ate for lunch is just vaporous and a passing cloud that you can stop. Your thoughts can’t force you to act, so practice pausing the actions that make you want to go on and on. Before you know it, change will come.

Overcoming social media addiction is not an overnight miracle. As you put the breaks on social media urges, Amy recommends being patient with yourself and more willing to do the work.

The Shallows, by Nicholas Carr (2011)

Nicholas Carr is known for posting ‘Google is making us stupid’ on the Atlantic Monthly. His point led to a heated discussion on the impact of the internet on our human brain. This was his primary motivation for writing The Shallows.

In this profound and detailed book, Carr explores the intellectual and cultural effects of the internet on human behavior, including engaging and reading books online. I found this thought intriguing and interesting. Carr argues how a vast volume of messages and web design keep away our deep thoughts and make us rapidly respond to posts or information. As a result, we lose our ability to be deep thinkers.

Do you regret some rapid comments on a post or story due to certain instantaneous emotions? Most of the time, it is because we don’t pause and think critically before posting. We often don’t realize that the comments that follow, whether positive or negative are what slowly build into social media addiction. You will just want to see what someone said or how they reacted constantly. Even if you delete the post, it might just come up later, causing you to go back again to the cycle.

This book has thoughts and facts, and I highly recommend it if you constantly rely on technology and social media in your life. That urge to check how something is done, even if unnecessary, can potentially build addiction. Your intention might be correct, but a simple notification may make you remain obsessively engaged on social media.

Reading this book was informative and challenging to me on the impacts of the internet, both positive and negative effects. In the end, it gave me an insight into how to manage social media addiction for a life-changing experience.