Each day I hear my friends, fellow students, strangers on the bus, and even university faculty talk about how they want to limit their screen time. They always talk about how terrible they feel after spending hours scrolling on social media instead of cooking dinner, or studying. Even I have spent more nights scrolling through TikTok than I’d like to admit. I’ve seen people put time limits on their Instagram, or they’ve download apps that help them to spend less time on other apps. Once, my roommate even left her phone with me so she wouldn’t get side tracked while doing homework. It wasn’t until I deleted all social media that I realized how often I reached for my phone just to fill a silence.
Today, our culture is primarily digital. Everything is a QR Code, a Google Form or a Zoom Meeting. As a society we’ve told ourselves social media is essential if we want to stay in touch with friends and family. Constant connectivity has conditioned us into believing we’ve never been so “in the know.” Why wouldn’t we? We can see a TikTok posted from across the globe in a matter of seconds. But, what if in order to truly be connected to the world around us, we actually need to take a step away from Instagram? How would changing your intentionality surrounding social media, change you? I want to show you how, by disconnecting, I became more connected.
A year ago I noticed I was bored. I was bored with the content I was seeing online, but I was also bored when I wasn’t “plugged in.” I couldn’t focus on anything for long periods of time, I felt overwhelmed with the world and its crises. I wanted to disconnect, but I felt this constant need to know whats happening online. I had tried time limits on my screen time in the past, I had tried every app that restricts Instagram, I had even tried locking my phone in a box. One day I noticed I had been picking up my phone constantly, waiting for something new to come across my feed or explore page. When the end of the day came and I had gotten nothing done, I knew it was time. I deleted Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter (X), and of course, TikTok. I like to joke and say I quit social media “cold turkey.” For 6 months I had no social media, and heres what I learned.
When I first stopped using social media, I felt FOMO (the Fear Of Missing Out), slight boredom, but also relief. I quickly learned that it is a privilege to feel bored. That when I find myself with nothing to do, I can do the things that bring me genuine joy. I picked up crocheting, baking, reading, and watching movies. I realized that social media did not bring me fulfillment. I was not actively doing anything. Sure, you could argue that I was consuming knowledge, media, or atleast content, but at what cost?
