Quitting Social Media: My Experience and Opinion
I initially deleted my social media for two years, then downloaded everything back. After some time, I deleted it again for another year, totaling 3 years without social media.
I deleted my social media because I wanted to see the world without a screen. Social media influences us daily - what we eat, what we wear, the words we use, which products we use at home, and so on. It influences everything! But it doesn't just influence everything, it also takes away your time. A large part of our lives goes to our phones, which isn't surprising since it's highly addictive.
When I quit social media, I immediately noticed a gap in my day. All those minutes or hours normally spent scrolling were now empty. In the first few hours, it felt like a relief, but eventually, you notice a few things:
- 1: I have quite a lot of free time after work/school
- 2: I have no idea what everyone is talking about
- 3: Trends?
Deleting your social media isn't a life-changing project, though it's often suggested to be, especially on social media itself. It remains the same day, the same weather, and the same people you encounter. But what's the difference then?
Since you don't keep up with much, you often can't participate in conversations about various topics. Your colleagues or classmates assume you're scrolling like everyone else and know what they're discussing. When you tell them you have no idea, you get the standard question: "Don't you have social media?" And when you say no, you get more standard questions: "WHAT??!!", "HUH?", "WHY?" and "HOW?!" These questions remain daily occurrences. Get used to it if you want to delete social media too.
And remember, when you remove one addiction, another can take its place. The second time I deleted my social media, I started binge-watching Netflix. If you're deleting social media because you want more time for yourself, you need to do something with the gaps you've created and not just replace one habit with another.
So if you're going to do this, you need to have a good reason. Because if you want to do it for more time in your day without any hobbies, you're probably just replacing this addiction with watching TV. So find a good reason and a way to not just switch from bad to bad.
I have to say, after three years of not having social media, I'm really happy I did it. Because now I'm a 'chill dude' (see what I just did there??? A meme, which you 100% wouldn’t know if you didn’t have social media anymore x). I enjoy being by myself, I love taking myself out on a date. I don’t need to belong to any group, and I’m happy with who I am. And that’s all that matters in life.
Hopefully, this has given you some insights, and if you have any questions… email me x- Mina.
Add comment
Comments