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I’ve been feeling very conflicted about influence of social media on my life and my well-being. I often want to drop it all and disappear, more often in a rather spontaneous urge. It doesn’t make it any easier that using social media is an essential part of my professional skill, even if I abandon my personal social media account - i would still have to use it every day.
I had an analogy the other day that using social media is like social drinking… it doesn’t make me an alcoholic if I do it once in a while but it’s an easy gateway to become one doing it for social purposes.
the thing is, I absolutely prefer to continue using social media for social purposes. I really value my friends and I want to stay in touch. I genuinely like seeing what my friends are sharing about their daily life. I feel grateful when someone shares a funny video with me, as it means they were thinking of me. Is it all bad for me to be using social media? Not really. Do I wish there’s an alternative way to stay connected with my friends other than consuming algorithm and advertising recommendations? Absolutely.
Feb 2, 2025
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🍏once i got realistic about what type of content i consumed on ig and twitter, i realized so quickly it was not expanding the way i think and in fact was keeping me stuck in the same (oftentimes negative/harmful) thought loopholes. social media is addictive in part because it algorithmically reproduces the way we already think. it keeps us comfortable.
start questioning: what can help expand your life? what other creative and consumptive outlets do you find fulfilling? is there a book you want to read? something you want to draw or write about? or, in general, consider how your older self would have wanted your time to be spent. you are so right that social media makes us feel Bad-- but we don't have to! it is an act of self-care and deep love to work on stepping away from things that hurt!
as far as practical tips, the best things that helped me were: a) like some others mentioned, deleting ALL social media apps from my phone so i can only access them on my computer. this helps because the online interfaces are a lot clunkier so it reduces some of the quick gratification that keeps you addicted. also you have to be literally sitting at a desk to use it, so the portability aspect/mindless scrolling is largely removed. b) keeping a journal because it's a much safer space to dump thoughts than a private story c) prioritizing in-person connection rather than mediating relationships through tech-- meet a friend for coffee! cultivate intimacy rather than superficiality, and notice how irl vs. online connection feels different d) nervous system regulation and grounding practices to counteract how scrolling can make you anxious/stressed/disembodied!
finally i did struggle a lot with fomo and being behind on trends at first but then i realized it doesn't really matter. trends are fleeting. even without chronic online-ness i am still funny and relatable and i find it much more interesting to hear about people's lives when i haven't been informed about them in an endless information stream online!!
start questioning: what can help expand your life? what other creative and consumptive outlets do you find fulfilling? is there a book you want to read? something you want to draw or write about? or, in general, consider how your older self would have wanted your time to be spent. you are so right that social media makes us feel Bad-- but we don't have to! it is an act of self-care and deep love to work on stepping away from things that hurt!
as far as practical tips, the best things that helped me were: a) like some others mentioned, deleting ALL social media apps from my phone so i can only access them on my computer. this helps because the online interfaces are a lot clunkier so it reduces some of the quick gratification that keeps you addicted. also you have to be literally sitting at a desk to use it, so the portability aspect/mindless scrolling is largely removed. b) keeping a journal because it's a much safer space to dump thoughts than a private story c) prioritizing in-person connection rather than mediating relationships through tech-- meet a friend for coffee! cultivate intimacy rather than superficiality, and notice how irl vs. online connection feels different d) nervous system regulation and grounding practices to counteract how scrolling can make you anxious/stressed/disembodied!
finally i did struggle a lot with fomo and being behind on trends at first but then i realized it doesn't really matter. trends are fleeting. even without chronic online-ness i am still funny and relatable and i find it much more interesting to hear about people's lives when i haven't been informed about them in an endless information stream online!!
Oct 31, 2024
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Lately, I have found much less of a calling to be on social media. I don't know a time where I checked my socials and walked away feeling happier. Do you? I have to be on my phone a fair amount due to work but I catch myself automatically clicking into apps out of boredom and I'm trying to stop that behaviour. I see the good in social media, the ability to stay connected to friends and be in-the-know on everything-- I think the whole point is that you feel left out when you're not on it.. so you're sucked in constantly. But that's not reality. I could disassociate for hours online and look up to the world around me and think, where the hell was I? I don't want to feel like a bystander watching other people's lives for a solid chunk of my day. Engaging more in the real world is a priority for me at this time in my life.
Feb 7, 2025
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📱Went cold-turkey off IG/FB a couple months back and had already ditched Twitter a couple years ago. It was a weird switch at first (especially IG). There are just some people I'm probably never going to be in contact with again, and for others, I won't have passive daily updates on their lives. Honestly, I think that's normal. It's just not the cultural norm. There are definitely things I miss and events I don't know about, but I'm still filling my life with great things and am just texting people instead. This place has effectively been a public gratitude journal, and Bluesky is where I can still toss unhinged takes into the void as well as get my news. As with most millennials, I'm admittedly still wired to seek validation from people on the internet, but cutting out an algorithmic-driven life has been so much better for my mental health. The more I learn about the perils of big tech, the more I wish people in my life felt empowered to do the same, but I get that people have complex relationships with the big platforms.
Edit: I guess I also have Substack, but the 'social' aspects of it are so unappealing, I hardly ever look at it.
Edit: I guess I also have Substack, but the 'social' aspects of it are so unappealing, I hardly ever look at it.
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👨Not answering with any particular idea but I like the approach of… think of where u would like to travel and attempt to make one of the local dishes! There’s always something simple in every culture to try out! it could even work the opposite way-take any random place on the map that you know nothing about, look up their cuisine, and once you commit to making a dish, it might inspire you to research more fun things along the way! just my little personal tip huhu maybe it inspires u in some way!
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omg as I asked this I went through similar questions and I stumbled upon so many amazing advices I love this one the most 😭 thank you mossyelfie