Confessions of a Digital Marketer: My Moral Dilemma of Keeping Your Business Online

As a digital marketer, I understand the psychology behind engagement, attention, and retention. My job is to help businesses keep people interacting with their content, staying online longer, and ultimately taking action. But here’s the catch—I personally resist to forcing people into this trap because I know how damaging it can be.

Recently, I listened to a thought-provoking episode of the Mel Robbins Podcast, and it made me reflect deeply on this paradox. The platforms we use are intentionally designed to hold our attention. And while I help businesses navigate and leverage these strategies, I also struggle with knowing I am part of the new world problem.

It’s my moral dilemma as a digital marketer: How do I balance ethical marketing with the knowledge that these platforms are engineered for addiction?

How Social Media is Designed to Hook You

Ever found yourself mindlessly scrolling through Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok, only to realise an hour (or more) has vanished? That’s not an accident. Social media platforms are built to be as engaging as possible, using psychological triggers to keep you locked in.

The Science Behind Engagement:

• Dopamine-driven rewards: Every like, comment, and notification triggers a dopamine hit—the same chemical involved in addiction.
• The endless scroll: There’s no natural stopping point, unlike a book or a movie. You just keep going.
• Algorithmic engagement: Platforms analyse what you engage with and serve you more of the same, reinforcing the habit.
• The business model: More time on the platform = more ads seen = more revenue for the company.

And here’s the key takeaway: It’s not your fault. These platforms are designed to make you stay.

My Personal Boundaries: How I Reclaimed My Time

I’ll admit it—I’ve fallen into the trap. I used to sit down after work, planning to check Facebook for just a few minutes. Suddenly, four hours had passed, I had no energy to eat, and it was bedtime. Sound familiar?

To break the cycle, I had to make intentional changes:

• Time limits: I set a daily cap of 30 minutes per social media app.
• Focus mode: I restrict app access during work hours and late at night.
• Mindful notifications: I turn off unnecessary alerts and disable social media notifications altogether.
• Replacing the habit: Instead of mindless scrolling, I fill my time with learning, reading, meditation, and in-person connections—where my phone is out of reach.
• Feedbuster: When I am working on the platforms during the day I used to find myself distracted by the feeds. So I installed a feedbuster, which replaces the feed with an inspiring quote to help prevent distraction.

These small changes made a massive difference.

How You Can Take Back Control

If you’re feeling drained by social media, here’s a simple step-by-step approach to regain control of your time and attention:

Step 1: Identify Your Biggest Time-Wasters: Use your phone’s screen time tracking feature to see where your hours are going. Awareness is the first step.

Step 2: Set Intentional Limits: Most phones have built-in app timers—use them. Set a daily limit and stick to it. (if you can’t stick to it, delete the app altogether)

Step 3: Remove Friction: Make social media less convenient to access. Log out after each use or move apps off your home screen.

Step 4: Schedule Mindful Phone Use: Instead of random scrolling, designate specific times to check social media, like during lunch or after work.

Step 5: Find Alternative Activities: Replace screen time with books, walks, hobbies, or in-person connections. Give yourself something better to do.

Step 6: Use Technology for You, Not Against You: Use apps like Forest or Freedom to block distractions and make your phone work for you.

Don’t worry you can download our detailed toolkit at the bottom to help you through this!

The Balance Between Marketing and Ethics

Marketing itself isn’t the problem—it’s the manipulative tactics that some brands use to keep people hooked.

As marketers, we have a responsibility to create genuine, ethical, and human-centred content. At CLP, we take a different approach:

• Minimal stock images or generic sales tactics
• Real, human-driven content that resonates
• Educational posts, behind-the-scenes moments, and true connections

We believe that ethical marketing isn’t just about growing a business—it’s about building trust and respecting your audience’s attention.

To prove this philosophy in action, we ran a case study with several clients last year, comparing two types of content:

Photos we took of products vs. Photos of real people in the businesses

The results were undeniable: The photos of the people on average received:

• 81% increase in reach when using real, people-focused imagery
• 279% average increase in engagement—a clear sign that audiences crave connection and authenticity

If that’s not proof that people want authenticity over perfectly polished, impersonal content, then what is?

At the end of the day, ethical marketing isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s what actually works.

To check out this case study and more click here

Your Turn: Take Back Your Attention

Have you ever struggled with social media overuse? What strategies have worked for you? Send us a message on our website or social media and let us know.

And if you’re looking for a structured plan to regain control of your screen time, download our free digital boundaries toolkit below.