Mindful Use of Social Media : A Utopia

This paper reviews the existing body of research on two important concepts of the modern world- “Mindfulness” captured the centre stage in the last decade of the 20th century in the hands of Jon Kabat-Zinn and holds the premier position in most research works being done today. The concept of mindfulness is an Eastern concept that has captured the focus of attraction in the Western world. Mindfulness is the way that can be harnessed in every aspect of the world, even in responsible and better use of social media though, there are not many benefits of the medium as evident from research and general experience. The second is the concept of “Social media”, which is a group of internet-based applications that depend on the principles of Web 2.0 to enable users to generate and exchange content. Though not recognized by DSM-V TR as a separate “behavioral addiction”, social media has been blamed for having serious negative effects including, absent-mindedness, academic distractions, major mood disorders, cyberbullying and cyber-fraud, FOMO and other anxieties. Social media usage is also known to make permanent changes in the brain. Social media is here to stay and increase its grip on the social structure every passing day. When the evil can't be eliminated, it is prudent to find other measures that would help to harness the evil for the greater good of the people. The paper explores how mindfulness may be harnessed to use social media productively and used to increase mindfulness and overall life satisfaction.