Since the fateful Christmas day when I got my first iPod touch, I’ve been a slave to social media. Be it Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, Tumblr or Pinterest, I can’t even imagine the number of hours I’ve spent scrolling through feeds, stories and timelines. This last year, specifically this last semester, I finally decided to cut myself loose from the ties of these platforms.
Don’t get me wrong, I think social media is a great way to connect with people you don’t otherwise have contact with and dip a toe into what it’s like in other people’s lives, but is there a point where it becomes too much? This last year, I had slowly been unfollowing people I sat behind in my high school psychology class and old middle school soccer teammates, but it wasn’t until a few months ago that I actually deleted the Instagram and Twitter apps from my phone for the first time.
At first, I didn’t know what to do in waiting rooms, before class, or in the morning. I had gotten so used to switching through the apps on my phone when I was presented with nothing else to do, but the fact of the matter is that I was choosing to scroll through the same five pictures I had already seen, instead of focusing my time on hobbies I wanted to cultivate, the people around me, homework, or even trying to relax.
Even though it’s been some time, I still get into the habit of wanting to record every moment perfectly for the world to see, but now I can record moments imperfectly and keep them for myself, a secret that only I know about. I used to think that I wouldn’t feel as connected to the rest of the world without social media, but I realized that if I cared enough about a person’s life, I could just text them and asked them about it. I’m not missing out on the memes, either, as my friends have resorted to screenshotting them and sending them to me through iMessage.
I’m not sure if deactivation is the next step in my journey, as the thought of permanently losing all the memories on my pages still freaks me out a little bit, but I’m glad I started taking a little bit of time for myself again, and I definitely recommend a social media cleanse, even if it’s just for a day, to start making the most of every minute.
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