Is social media ruining our lives? I guess ComPsych would say so — gone unchecked, that is.
The course is designed to enhance people’s “digital mindfulness,” which suggests — in the words of Dr. Richard A. Chaifetz, founder, chairman and CEO of ComPsych — that “people examine priorities and set limits around time spent on social media so they can be more effective at work, and also find more satisfaction in life overall.”
In a survey of more than 1,200 respondents, ComPsych asked employees how many times, per day on average, they checked social media while at work. The telling result: Almost 20 percent said they check it more than 10 times during their workday. Specifically, their answers were:
- “0 times per day” — 12 percent
- “1-5 times per day” — 60 percent
- “6-10 times per day” — 10 percent
- “10-plus times per day” — 18 percent
This, according to Chaifetz, is no light-hearted or laughing matter. As he puts it:
“Social media can be a significant distraction both at work and during personal time. This leads to lack of focus and a constant changing of gears that can negatively impact performance, relationships and the ability to be fully present.”
Those taking the course, he says, will come out able to understand the impacts of consumer and digital overload, identify priorities and ways to simplify their lives, and recognize how becoming digitally mindful can lower stress and improve their well-being.
Granted, many of us need to be using social media as part of our jobs. Here at HRE, we’re tweeting, sharing stories and posting on LinkedIn, and checking our Facebook site or others’ for pertinent news.
But the message of the survey and course is a good one and shouldn’t be ignored: Keep it under control lest it control you. In the words of the course description:
“In today’s digital age, people are exposed to a vast number of choices about what to read, watch, listen to or purchase. The result is that people often are more distracted, confused and stressed by the increasing complexity of consumer choices and online social-media activities.”
Whether I do anything with its course or not, I’m glad ComPsych is raising this red flag.