It’s not a secret that this generation can never seem to put their phones down.
Liking, favoriting and re-tweeting were my only hobbies at one point. I never would’ve thought I could survive without constantly updating other people on what I’m doing or seeing what everyone else was up to at every hour of the day. I had a self-realization moment—maybe spending a total of 24 hours a week on social media isn’t the healthiest thing.
With social media comes constantly comparing your life to others, not enjoying some good-ole human interaction, and honestly, a little bit of anxiety and depression.
As much as I was afraid of admitting it, I was scared of social interactions and would avoid it at all costs because I never learned how to actually speak to people. I would get stuck in my head about how my looks or my quality of life compared to other people’s. After a while, I got tired of that way of living.
I deleted Snapchat and Instagram permanently on a whim. I wanted to really start living. After about a month and a half with no social media, I have learned so many things I can’t even keep track of, but here are a few:
1. Talking to people face-to-face is not as hard as I thought.
Direct messaging, texting and leaving comments on others’ posts is not like the real face-to-face conversation, and I learned that quickly (but in a good way).
Talking to people in real life is actually fun. Seeing their expressions, hearing their voice, and generally being sociable is enjoyable. Very few things are lost in translation because there isn’t a screen between you and the other person.
I learned how to hold a real-time decent conversation and make connections with people I otherwise wouldn’t have if I was glued to Instagram.
2. Taking pictures for enjoyment purposes is kind of fun.
When I had Instagram, I would only take pictures just so I could post them. I would whip out my phone for a pretty sunset or ask one of my friends to take a cute picture of me and my outfit so I could boost my feed a little.
Now, I take pictures just for short little memories. I’ll take one or two pictures of a sunset just so I can remember how beautiful it was, then I’ll go back to being in the moment. Pictures have much more of a meaningful purpose to me now.
3. You don’t have to tell everyone about everything you’re doing.
With social media, it seems like everyone has something to prove. So-and-so is always showing how athletic he is, and so-and-so is showing how artsy and cool she is. Maybe who you are and everything about you doesn’t have to be showcased. It’s perfectly fine to share your hobbies and the things you like on social media, but when does it become too much? I found myself always needing to prove to people I’m cool too and I like this and that, but now, I enjoy what I love in solitude and find it just as fun.
Social media can be great sometimes, but it’s okay to set your phone down and experience life without a screen in between you and the world.