Social media: it can be super awesome, and it can also be super distracting. Two weeks ago, I decided to delete Twitter, Instagram and Facebook from my phone for seven days. There were highs and there were lows; there was laughter and there were tears. Here’s how my week without social media went.
The first few days went very well. I had two papers and a journalism story to write, so the fact that I didn’t have social media to distract me from doing my work was awesome and made me more productive. I got stuff done and I got it done in a timely manner. Crazy, right? That being said, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t look for other ways to distract myself when I needed a break from doing work. Have you ever scrolled through your own Venmo history all the way back to the Summer of 2018? I have, and no, I’m not exactly proud to admit it.
When I wasn’t doing work and I was hanging out with friends, I forgot I even deleted social media. Well, most of the time. There are always those moments when you’re hanging out with some of your friends when for about five minutes, everyone is just scrolling through Twitter or Instagram on their phones. It’s a natural thing that just happens sometimes, but when you can’t participate, it’s a little awkward.
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The mornings were the best. When I woke up, instead of scrolling through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, I would just lay awake and mentally prepare myself for the day. It gave me a chance to spend some extra time with just myself, which I discovered I value quite a lot.
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Something I wasn’t expecting to miss out on was Twitter memes. The day I deleted my social media was the same day the video of Kylie Jenner singing, “Rise and shine,” to her daughter went viral as a meme on Twitter. By the time I redownloaded all my apps, the meme was almost non-existent and a multitude of other funny videos had already taken its place. I already knew how quickly something could become popular on the Internet, but when I took myself out of the world of viral trends and memes, I realized how quickly things can become unpopular as well.
Me and my bank account after I’ve made $50 stretch for a week and a half pic.twitter.com/OrG3eIKkjp
— DJ Suge Henry (@DJJordanJetson) October 20, 2019
I realized a lot during my week without social media, and I made a discovery that I believe to be absolute truth: regardless of how hilarious Twitter and all of its memes are, social media cleanses every so often are very important.