There is something ironic about being obsessed with being offline but simultaneously posting about it on social media. Between endless TikTok scrolling and up to date posts, being “offline” appears as a new form of luxury. Capturing memories on digital cameras, carrying around physical books or even buying outdated iPods brings back a sense of nostalgia for many college students.Â
For college students, this shift makes sense. Our day to day life revolves around screens that are necessary for our materials in class. We use them to check on assignments, stay in contact with friends and family, and most importantly to share a side of us on social media. It becomes difficult to distinguish where our life begins and where our digital lives end.Â
This is why small activities such as going on book dates with friends or making picture scrapbooks become more romanticized. Spending time with friends without the use of social media or technology becomes a must for many friend dates to feel special. But all of this doesn’t necessarily mean we want to stop documenting our lives, we simply want it to feel worthy of being documented. Digital cameras don’t send us reminders of the amount of people who viewed the picture or books, they don’t judge the way you act in front of others. Simple activities of being offline grant many out there the satisfaction of feeling normal without the fear of being posted online.
Many of us find these “offline” hobbies through social media influencers who encourage the distance from social media. The irony can be hard to ignore, we want to experience these “offline” moments for the thrill, but not for the actual courage of being without our phones. Following trends isn’t a new discovery for the average human, but the act of posting about being “offline” in social media takes away the purpose.Â
The goal of being “offline” isn’t necessarily to delete every app on your phone and resort to sending letters through the mail, but to rather live the moment than to dwell on the thoughts of others. Living the best moments in life is to create those core memories rather than to capture every moment for an audience out there. Every best moment in college can be the memories of walking with your friends, going on coffee dates, or going for a late night swim. Being “offline” doesn’t mean that we have to disconnect from the social media life we have built, but rather distinguish the difference between life and the online world. Being able to do so will offer the best way to live in the moment and grant the best of both worlds.