Over the winter break, I made the swift decision to delete my social media accounts from my phone. One day I was sitting in my house scrolling through my various platforms when I had this “a-ha!” moment; I had realized that I had spent the past 2 hours online, reading tweets, watching different stories, and looking at everyone’s amazing study abroad pictures. After having this moment, I had realized that my automatic reach for Instagram was a bit of an issue. Sure it’s great to see what everyone is doing, but constantly checking on other people’s lives is not a way to live your life.
So I decided I wanted to delete my social media, for an undetermined amount of time.
I had first downloaded Instagram on my phone in 2012, right in the midst of the rise in popularity of the app. After years on the app, I had expanded my socials to Twitter, which, according to my profile, I’ve had since July of 2017, but have only really been using for the past 6 months or so. I begrudgingly downloaded Snapchat a year ago, as the insistence and pressure of my college friends who told me that I had to have one so we could have “streaks”. I’ve had a Facebook since about 2012, but don’t really use it because it’s “for moms” (sorry mom!). My point is that the only social media I use daily is Instagram, so I decided to delete only that app off of my phone. I also wanted to see if I would turn to another social media app to fill the void that Instagram had left.
After deleting Instagram, the first thing I had to do was notify my friends (which sounds absurd, right?) that yes, I am still alive, and no I won’t be responding to the memes they send me. The first thing I had noticed, post-Insta, was my instinct to go and open the app once I accessed my phone. I must’ve accidentally accessed the app that took its place, Goodreads, over a dozen times within the first few days. After making this mistake, I “trained” myself to stop automatically going on my phone with the intent to mindlessly scroll.
After a few days of adjustments to my Instagram-free life, I got used to it. Oddly enough, I did feel somewhat “out of touch” with the world around me, which I think is a true testament to the connectivity of our world and how much of an influence social media has on our day-to-day lives. Surprisingly, I didn’t turn to Twitter or Facebook to keep me updated on things going on in the world. For news, I turned to actual news websites like NPR and podcasts (I would highly recommend “The Daily” from the New York Times for news updates).
Living without social media also made me turn to texting as a better way to keep up with friends. Instead of communicating over “likes” and funny memes sent over dm, I actually checked in and talked to my friends. My focus also improved. Before, when watching a TV show or movie, I would unconsciously go and check my Instagram feed. Without this second stimuli, I now focused and enjoyed what I was watching more. I also had more time to devote to reading, a favorite pastime of mine since I was younger, but hadn’t enjoyed as much over the past few years.
During this “experiment”, I also started to journal, something I had always been wary of (shoutout to Áine for supplying the journal). I had tried it before but to no success. I think that, because I physically distanced myself from the constant feed of other people’s lives, I could focus more on my own life and emotions.
After 3 (ish) weeks without Instagram, I redownloaded it, and still have it on my phone. When I reinstalled it, I was a little overwhelmed with all of the notifications I had from the app. To be honest, I was scared that when I redownloaded it, I would go back to the dependency I used to have. Despite that, I have noticed my hesitancy to reach for Instagram. I think giving my brain a break from the social, mental, and emotional drain that social media can have was a positive change. And I would 100% recommend it to anyone. It’ll feel weird at first, but in the end, you’ll enjoy taking a break from the busy world around you and reconnect with yourself, which is never a bad idea, right?