That’s right. The title says it all. Are you shocked? How in the world could I delete my social media apps? How could I ever live without them? To be honest, it was easier than I was expecting and more refreshing than ever. First, I’ll tell you why I did it.
I was scrolling through social media one day, and I came upon a picture of a kitten inside a blender with the title “Would you press start for one million dollars?” No worries, the person who shared the post said no, but the fact that it was even a thing was extremely disturbing to me, so I exited out of the app. I started thinking about how sick I was of seeing horrible stuff on the internet, hearing about gross stuff, and people just saying bad things in general. That post sent me over the edge.
Going a week without social media had been a reoccurring thought for me. Although in the past, I never had it in me to actually take the initiative and do it. I then set a goal to delete my apps for a whole week. After I deleted those apps, it felt refreshing. I wasn’t constantly checking my phone, nor was I worried about what everyone else was doing. I could just focus on me and I think that’s what I really needed. The reason I had been thinking about deleting my social media prior to the cat photo was because of all the politics, negativity, and brainwashing. A lot of people get their information from either Twitter or Facebook, and most of its posts consist of people arguing about their opinions rather than stating facts, which starts so many conflicts between people.
Social media brainwashes us into thinking that our lives should be as perfect as everyone else’s. I find myself thinking things like “Why don’t I have as many friends as her?” or “Why can’t I look as pretty as her?” or even “Why is my life so boring?” We feel like we constantly need to compete with others on how “great” our lives are just so we feel better about ourselves. This shouldn’t happen, though, because everyone’s lives are different and our feelings are, too. I looked up “social media leads to” on Google and tons of articles with titles like “social media leads to poor mental health” came up. The issue is all too real, but nobody likes to admit it because it’s considered an addiction.
Another example is that there are always people bragging that their significant other is so great because they randomly got them flowers. I’ve heard my friends get jealous and mad at their S.O. because they wanted that, as well. Again, everyone’s finances are different and your S.O. especially will likely show you affection in other ways. We need to stop being jealous of other people because, behind the screen, we are all trying to figure life out. Nobody has all their ducks in a row.
Going back to my social media cleanse experience, I did not find myself wanting to open up Instagram or Twitter because I was bored. Instead, I found more things to do like starting my homework early or doing my laundry. There are many things we are missing out on in life, like saying hi to potential new friends when we are looking down at our phones while walking in the hallway or simply enjoying the moment during a concert when we spend the majority of it taking videos instead.
After the week was up, I re-downloaded all my social media apps. I decided to keep Twitter and Facebook locked in a separate folder in my phone so I don’t immediately see them and feel the need to click on them. The only reason I re-downloaded them in the first place was because that’s how some people contact me. Overall, my experience with this social media cleanse was great. After I pressed delete on each app, it felt like a relief; I didn’t need to depend on something, it was just me. You don’t need notifications and likes to know that you are special; all you need is yourself.
After reading this, I hope you consider either limiting your time on social media or trying this cleanse to boost your own self-esteem by being yourself and not worrying about what other people think of you based on your social media profile.
Xoxo, Bailey