My one month challenge is over. I’m free. I can finally use social media again. The thing is, I don’t really want to.
I always knew this challenge wouldn’t be as bad as I imagined at first. I knew it wouldn’t be that bad. What I didn’t know is how much I would actually enjoy being social media free. Surprisingly, it feels pretty great.
Being social media free made me feel exactly that – free. I felt free from having to scroll through Twitter posts and constantly check messages, and I could relax and enjoy things rather than worrying about getting a great photo to share. I don’t feel terrified of missing out on information now, because I’ve realised that most of meaningful stuff I need to know isn’t going to be in a Facebook status, it’s going to be on News sites or in books or in a great conversation with a friend. I don’t need to fill up my brain with what someone had for lunch or dedicate my attention to a filtered photo of a girl I only kind of know. Instead, I can dedicate time to looking at things that really matter.
I’m not saying that social media is pointless, or even that I’m going to keep all my profiles deactivated. I love knowing that someone I know just got engaged, and I know that I really do want to see the hilarious tweets my closest friends post. I want to see people sharing things that matter to them. I want to connect with people, respond to ideas, even show a little support through a Facebook like.
The outcome of this challenge isn’t a swearing off of all social media sites, it’s just a new approach. I can look at Facebook, but there is no need to scroll through my feed multiple times a day. No more Facebook stalking, no more feeling anxious that I’ve missed a status, no silently checking Facebook when I’m waiting to meet someone. Facebook is, most likely, not making a return to my phone.
I don’t want to use social media as a crutch anymore or, even worse, as something that’s actually damaging my mental state. I don’t want to favorite someone’s tweet instead of actually catching up with them. I don’t want to feel a genuine need to see everything on every feed, scrolling through until I catch up with the posts I saw yesterday. I definitely don’t want to dedicate significant amounts of time to something that doesn’t make me happier, smarter, or a better person.
Anyone who’s reading this, I want you to really analyze how you feel after a visit to a social media site. Do you actually feel any better than you did beforehand? Do you feel closer to your friends? Are these feelings real, or artificial?
Social media allows us to distance ourselves from dealing with the tough stuff. We can kid ourselves that we’ve got great friendships by messaging each other or relying on someone to like a post. We can pretend we’re happily living an incredible, fun life with an artful Instagram post, or that we’re always funny and witty with the perfectly constructed tweet. We essentially create this alternate reality where we are exactly who we want to be, but distance ourselves from the knowledge that none of it is actually real.
I’m done faking. I’m logging out. I’m swapping posting and scrolling for reading, talking, and actually doing things. I’m staying free.
Click the links below to check out the One Month Challenge that led to this point:
[Lead Image via/Gifs via here/here/here]
