With a community as tight-knit as ours here in St Andrews, it should be no surprise that this small coastal town has earned the nickname ‘the bubble’. Between the endlessly interconnected student community, packed event calendars, and classes filling up any space in between, it’s easy to forget that there’s a world outside of St Andrews.
However, the ‘bubble’ isn’t limited to our three beloved streets. As many students come to realize within their first few weeks at St Andrews, the ‘bubble’ is a digital phenomenon as much as a physical one. Apps like Instagram and Snapchat, once a refreshing mix of friends, family, and celebrity culture, can quickly become dominated by familiar faces around town and endless posts from student societies.
While social media can be a great place to stay connected as a student, the online ‘bubble’ can also begin to feel suffocating. A community like this often breeds unhealthy comparison, causing students to overanalyze everything, from their wardrobe to the number of societies they’ve joined.
If, like me, you are overwhelmed by the influx of information each time you open your phone and the non-stop highlight reels on Instagram, my go-to solution is a digital detox.
This term may feel daunting. However, a digital detox doesn’t have to mean completely cutting off from technology. For a student, a complete detox isn’t realistic. A digital detox should be tailored to your needs, setting boundaries around your devices rather than banning them entirely.
Schedule ‘Offline’ Days
For me, I find it helpful to schedule days away from social media. If a social media platform isn’t vital to my daily responsibilities, I find that taking two or three days each week where I remove the apps from my phone can be a refreshing way to reset and reconnect with real life.
Set a Digital ‘Bedtime’
Another simple way to detox is by setting a ‘bedtime’ for your devices each night. As tempting as it is to doom-scroll before sleeping, taking an hour away from social media and screens in general each night can make all the difference in your sleep.
A recent Norwegian study found that one hour of screen time before bed results in a 59% higher risk for insomnia and 24 fewer minutes of sleep. Turning off our screens an hour or two before bed isn’t just a good habit – it’s a way to save our sleep schedules.
Use ‘Do Not Disturb’
If even these tips feel overwhelming or unrealistic to start out with, have no fear. The easiest way that I have found to disconnect from my screens in day-to-day life is simple: turn on ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode for a few hours. Notifications can easily distract us from sleep, homework, or even time with our friends.
It’s tempting to catch each alert as it pops up, becoming instantly immersed in the online world. Turning off notifications, even for just an hour at a time, can help recenter our attention and priorities, reminding us that there is a world beyond our phones.
Ultimately, it’s easy to get swept up in the St Andrews ‘bubble’, whether in person or on social media. It’s easy to feel like you’re constantly on display or missing out. However, that doesn’t mean that you need to go off the grid entirely. Personally, I am not prepared to commit to a life unplugged.
By taking a step back and incorporating some of these tips into our digital interactions, we can shift our focus from a curated feed to the genuine moments and connections that surround us. Just remember: when the bubble begins to feel claustrophobic, a digital detox is a great way to pop it.