Social media is the epitome of a blessing and a curse. It’s perhaps the thing I both love to hate while simultaneously hate to love. This is why I frequently and unapologetically delete my social media networking apps- Instagram included.
Within the past three years, I have deleted my Instagram and Snapchat about six times. And though I eventually re-download the apps, I never find myself regretting the hiatus from it. In fact, it’s something I come to enjoy.
The first time I deleted my Instagram and Snapchat was when I was a senior in high school. I can’t recall the exact catalyst of that decision, but if my memory is correct it was a few weeks after the 2020 presidential election and I was simply tired.
I felt truly worn down by my Instagram feed. It contained post after post after post of political propaganda, fake news or opinions that simply infuriated me to no end. As I would grow continuously more and more frustrated and angry at what I kept seeing, I had a bit of an “ah hah” moment.
Nothing was keeping me on the app. In fact, I was the one putting myself through this torture. I didn’t have to keep looking at my feed. So, I made the decision to delete the app. My account was still up and visible to my followers, but I said goodbye to Instagram. I also deleted Snapchat for good measure.
I went a few months without the apps, however around May of senior year, I realized that social media is essential to meeting new people and making friends. As an apprehensive incoming freshman at Penn State, I succumbed to the app in hopes of staying connected to my peers and future classmates.
However, during my time without the apps I found myself free. I know that sounds pretentious and corny, but it’s true. I wasn’t constantly checking my phone throughout the day. I wasn’t worried about what people thought of my profiles, and I felt no pressure to constantly post my life and activities through a silly app.
I got to live in the moment, and it was awesome.
There is no doubt that social media has its pros. It helps people stay connected to friends and family, allows one to stay up to date on pop culture and is also very entertaining.
However, if you ever find yourself checking your social media apps religiously, I recommend spending some time without it. It doesn’t have to be a full-on social media cleanse. It could be setting a screen time limit on the app. Or, trying to go a day without it.
It’s a bit difficult and unusual at first, but it’s actually pretty simple after the first few days.
It goes without saying that everyone is different, but whenever I find myself feeling sad, I tend to delete the app to get some clarity. It is truly a peaceful experience for me.
Though I currently have social media on my phone, this past summer I deleted it in order to spend more time with friends and family. And honestly, it felt like the equivalent of touching grass.
So, if you ever find yourself feeling anxious or stressed and social media is one of the catalysts of that distress, I seriously recommend deleting it.