This past summer I took a two week hiatus from social media. There are probably some people out there who think an hour without their phone is unbearable, but personally I didn’t think two weeks would be too hard. As it turned out it was easier than I thought; however, it was an eye-opening experience that helped me realize how much time I actually spend on social media, which is what I had hoped for when I first started this endeavor.
I chose a two week break because, firstly, it’s a little longer than a week, and secondly, because I was trying to put some space between myself and someone else. For most people in our generation, I think two weeks would be the longest we could go without social media, let alone technology. Social media platforms, as well as our phones and laptops, are not only embedded into our society but also in our circle of friends and family, and in our personal daily lives more than we realize.
The first thing I became aware of when I gave up social media was the parts of the day where I was most dependent on it, for example at night before bed or during slow times at work. I worked a nine-to-five office job, so my first challenge was to find something other than Instagram or Facebook to fill my lunch hour. I started reading again, which is something I had wanted to do during the summer. My books were no longer sadly waiting on my shelf or sitting on my side table continuously being ignored. Before bed I would normally scroll continuously for hours on Instagram and Facebook, but to resist the urge I would close my laptop and chat with my mom, or finish a chapter of my book. I also love to write in my journal before bed, but before taking my hiatus I would make excuses to myself that I had no time or was too tired. In reality, I had no time because my eyes were glued to a screen most of the time.
The other time I found myself using social media a lot was during awkward moments, such as being around strangers or waiting in line. If you go to any Starbucks or busy grocery store, I can make a pretty good guess that while you wait for the slow person ahead of you to order their non-fat extra hot vanilla chai with a splash of unicorn dust and three shots of espresso latte, you are probably scrolling through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or reading a Buzzfeed article. Similarly, I find that when I’m out with a friend and they run into someone I don’t know, I often resort to glancing at my phone. It’s as though it has become a source of comfort, or a means of escaping awkward encounters we don’t want to be apart of. Without social media I often found myself looking around, staring at people with their eyes and thumbs glued to their phones thinking how much I missed when my eyes were averted like theirs were. Also, not looking at your phone all the time definitely makes awkward eye contact more frequent, so be prepared for that!
In addition to becoming more self-aware of the times when I did use social media too frequently, I also learned that I don’t really care about the details and events going on in many of my “friends’” lives, especially the ones I don’t talk to or interact with on a daily basis. Every day we find ourselves subjected to the thoughts, opinions, vacation photos, and selfies of people we don’t even know or don’t really care about. By removing myself from that world, I actually spent more time and effort thinking about the people I do care about. I had time to reach out to them, talk to them, and and hang out with them. This was great because these interactions were usually in person, and also because I actually wanted to hear about their trip to Italy, not just hit “like” on one of their Facebook photos.
I think the biggest challenge and the most important thing I learned from leaving social media was my response when something really cool happened to me. I immediately wanted to share it or Snapchat it, but then I stopped and asked myself, “Why?” Of course, my first thought when answering this question was that I thought other people would find it cool. But, when I dug deeper I realized that it’s really a personal satisfaction that we get from sharing our life with friends, and even the public. We’ve become so obsessed with ourselves that we think everything in our life is an exciting event, or is something special. By oversharing with hundreds of Facebook friends, events and special occasions had lost their value to me. I only realized this when something really cool did happen; instead of snapping it or posting about it, I just paused to enjoy the moment.
I think the big problem with our generation’s obsession with social media is that we think we need an audience, as if our day to day lives as millennials are some sort of unique, perplexing, hilarious Broadway shows that we expect thousands of people to watch and enjoy. Sorry to break it to you, but they’re really not. I would rather spend my time and energy focusing on a friend than spending my time thinking of an Instagram caption. Or compliment the lady in front of me in line instead of scrolling through Twitter while I wait. I want to be more in touch with the people around me than the people whom I follow.
I think everyone could benefit from a break from social media, especially in a university culture where we are surrounded by it. Whether it be a day, two weeks, or a month, I recommend that you go try it for yourself. I dare you.