Social media: it’s the constant source of validation we all crave, the setter of trends, and the ever-growing world of connection. After noticing that I’d become obsessed with what everyone else was doing—and with whom they were doing it—I decided to take a break from this highly addictive microcosm.
I should clarify that this wasn’t a cry for attention; rather, it was a time to check in with myself and curb my reliance on social media. A reliance that, if we took a moment for introspection, we would realize we’ve all developed. I decided that I would just take a week off. While a week doesn’t seem like a long time, in the ever-changing world of social media, it may as well be a year. Before I started, I was a frequent participant on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook. Because Facebook had become an integral part of my life regarding my job, I couldn’t delete it—but I did limit my use.
Of course, the week began with a case of phantom thumb, which is what I call trying to press the place where the widget once was. But it subsided as the week progressed. This experience taught me a lot about myself and the world surrounding social media.
So, here’s what I learned when I deleted my social media for a week:
1. People notice: We’re constantly interacting with one another on social media: whether it’s sending our friend’s funny tweets, tagging them in our pictures, or sharing our daily lives in stories. Texts reading, “Did you block me?” or, “Did you delete [insert social media platform here]?” flooded in.
Such interactions showed me that we have begun to rely on our follower count. If someone unfollows or blocks us, it’s considered more than just a slight: it’s a statement against us. On one hand, people are worried about maintaining their following. On the other, some of your friends truly miss your interactions. Either way, people move on from your absence.
2. I garner a lot of information from social media: I didn’t realize how important some social media sites were in bringing me the news. When Trump inevitably tweeted something unintelligible, I had no idea. In order to stay up to date, I had to search for my news on other platforms. This active approach for finding knowledge offered a more well-rounded view of events, rather than the one-sided updates to which I had grown accustomed.
3. You begin to enjoy your own company. With all the newfound time that one gains after deleting social media, it’s easy to feel aimless.
The week led me to start figuring out what I like to do and who I am when I’m not planning my next tweet or posing for Instagram. Having social media is like having friends at your fingertips. But without it, you learn what it is to become your own friend. I began to discover new interests, and I even exercised and slept more since I didn’t spend as much time checking my apps. I enjoyed spending time with myself, which is something that I hadn’t done in a while.
My week without social media was eye-opening; however, it’s not something that I would maintain. I like to share my life with my friends, but it’s also okay to take a break. I would encourage more people to take a step back and analyze their own relationship with social media. It can be toxic, but realizing this allows us to control it and take back our accounts with positivity and a greater sense of self.