Can people today survive without social media? That is the real question. I decided to spend 24 hours without looking at any media platform. My parents and friends thought I would not be able to do it, they laughed at me. I wanted to prove them wrong, I am always on my phone, and I know it is a bad habit. Everyone everywhere is on their phone, and people say it is the generation we are living in. That should not be an excuse. My 24 hours were amazing, carefree, and full of life. So why do we even have phones? The answer used to be to call people. Not even text, our parents did not even know what texting was. How did people fall down this trap of social media? Today people feel the need to post the best version of themselves online. We feel the need to have validation and to post the most exciting parts of our lives to almost make others jealous.
I saw this challenge on YouTube, and thought it would be fun. Everyone thought this would be hard for me, since I am on my phone quite frequently. I started the challenge at five p.m. because I thought it would be easiest, I kind of cheated by picking that time. The first couple of hours was pretty easy, I went thrifting with my friends and out to dinner. I realized the more I did to make myself busier, the less I wanted to look at my phone. That night I had to write a three page paper. I usually get distracted and find myself scrolling through social media for no reason. This time I had no excuse and no reason not to finish my paper. I never knew how fast I could write a paper until that night. No distractions meant more thought and time for me to write. My roommates and I watched American Horror Story, so obviously I was not on my phone. That show is way too interesting to be wrapped up in social media. The night approached and that’s when I am usually on social media the most, right before bed. That is possibly the worst time to go on your phone, it is bad for sleep. Although we all do it, we spend about an hour each night before bed to scroll through all media platforms. That night it did not happen to me, I played a couple rounds of Mario Kart and went to bed.
In the morning I got up without a problem, I had no distractions to keep me in bed. Usually in the morning I sit on my phone for 30 to 40 minutes scrolling through social media. I could be spending this time getting ready and actually looking presentable. Without my phone I took my time getting ready, doing my makeup, looking nice, and just relaxing before class. I am not used to this, so it was pretty refreshing. If others took this time to relax and get ready, they might be nicer in the morning. The rest of the day flew by, and I got to dedicate that whole day to my classes and schoolwork. This gave me time to really connect with my friends and really hang out and talk with them. Towards the end of the day was when it got hard, I started working out at the gym and got really bored. Instead of taking out my phone, which I wanted to do, Netflix saved the day. I watched a couple of episodes of Friends and soon enough the 24 hours was up.
This experience was eye opening, and I want to start doing this challenge more often. I surprised all of my friends and family by finishing and sticking to my goal. Other people should try this so they can be present and really see what is going on in their day to day life. Next month I will be trying to see if I can do a 36 hour no social media challenge. Stay tuned!