Have you ever thought about how often you go on your phone? Or how quick you are to Snapchat something funny happening in front of you? Most likely, it’s just an instinctive reaction at this point. Social networking is something that has become engrained in our everyday lives. Whether we like it or not, we are in a world that is connected to our phones. I realized how attached I was to social networking and decided to do the seemingly impossible: avoid social media for a week.
The idea came to me when I saw my screen time. Looking at how much time I spent on my phone per day, and the time I spent on Instagram, Snapchat, etc. was repulsive. All that time in my week I could have spent reading my favorite books, painting pictures, or going to the gym (well maybe not the last one, but you get the idea). Also, spending a lot of time on social media can impact your mental health. It’s upsetting to see pictures of celebrities with perfect bodies, or seeing you didn’t get an invite to that party. The amount of time on social media can impact our mental health and productivity way more than we realize. For an idea of how addicted I felt, check out my screen time data for last week:
For my experiment, I eliminated all social media used for networking. This included Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, Snapchat, and Twitter. I spent a lot of time on these and they’re the prime places for people posting and showing off their lives. I continued to go on Buzzfeed for news articles and how could I possibly give up their quizzes?
Day 1
In the haziness of waking up, I opened Instagram, realized what I did, and then closed it immediately. It truly made me realize it was a habit. I was super bored. Whenever I had to kill time, I didn’t know what to do. During moments I found awkward, such as waiting in line, I couldn’t distract myself. I looked at my surroundings instead. I spent a lot of time on Buzzfeed and playing dumb games on my phone as well.
Day 2
I realize today that I miss posting things to show people. When I took pictures, they just sat in my phone instead of sharing them with my friends. My dog was curled up in an adorable ball sleeping and I immediately grabbed my phone to Snapchat her cuteness. And then I realized I couldn’t. It was tragic. I’m missing all of the things I liked to post, but I realize I don’t miss seeing what everyone else is up to. I spent more time today working on my homework. I used to get so distracted from homework by going on my phone every few minutes. I finished my homework much faster than I thought. I also spent a lot of time reading a book I haven’t picked up since the summer.
Day 3
This whole thing is surprisingly getting easier. I don’t even have the urge to go on anymore. The only issue I had today was my friend sent me a link to a video on Facebook and I accidentally clicked it. Right when the app was loading, I closed it super quick.
Day 4
It’s fairly easier than I thought, but for the second time this week my friends texted me and said “check snap!” It was a pain to tell them I couldn’t
Days 5, 6, and 7
By day 5, I was pretty much used to life without social media. I made a much better use of my time by reading, doing homework, and actually paying attention to what I watch on TV. In moments I used to think about posting, I would l would live in the moment and enjoy them. Instagram and Snapchat have not even crossed my mind.
Going Back
After day 7, I finally went back. I had a decent amount of notifications, but I did not care to catch up nearly as much as I thought I would. My impulse to check my phone and my apps has surely vanished. Although I went on my phone a decent bit, my screen time was cut in half and utilized in better ways.
If you find yourself going on your social media too much, this is a great way to disconnect. I loved the way this week made me feel! Try it yourself to see how it makes you feel!