Recently, I have come across multiple articles and podcasts that discuss the ways in which social media has become toxic—the hours wasted, the link to mental illness, the secret advertising to minors–I could go on and on. There is undeniable truth to these arguments, and this is nothing new, but we are still reluctant to change. There are ways in which social media enriches our lives, and some people, my husband included, feel that the pros outweigh the cons. Still, we are aware that social media is designed to be addicting, and like substance abuse, we will all reach a point when we have to make a conscious decision to stop, taper, or continue on as we have been (accepting the unavoidable pitfalls).
Some questions I have read and heard that you might ask yourself:
- How do you feel after spending time scrolling on social media (ie when you put your phone down). Do you feel markedly worse than you did before you picked up your phone?
- Do you have the time to spend (or arguably waste) minutes/hours on your phone every day? Is there another activity that you could do that would be more enriching/fun/meaningful?
- Have you ever missed out on a conversation or something your partner or child said or did because you were staring at your screen?
- Have you experienced something amazing and then immediately felt the need to post/share rather than dwell on the experience for your personal enjoyment?
- Have you noticed that the majority of the people you follow on social media are people you rarely see? How would you rate the quality of comments on images and posts versus in-person interactions?
- If you used the time you spent commenting and liking posts on social media to instead write letters (the old fashioned way!), email, text or call family and friends, how would this change your life?
When I answer all of these questions for myself, it becomes crystal clear that I feel done with social media. As a parent, I want to set a good example for my children, and frankly, if there is a way to steal more time back for myself each day, I will do it! That said, while social media is an addiction, as I mentioned earlier, it is not all negative! I enjoy seeing updates from friends and businesses or places that I care about. I enjoy funny videos and posts, and I find inspiration from artists, athletes, and women.
So…here is my plan: In the coming weeks, I will close down my personal accounts. I will keep my business accounts open, and post as I have been over the past couple years: roughly 3 scheduled posts a week and non-scheduled stories during events. Then, over the remainder of this year, I plan to invest more energy in what I perceive to be “healthier” platforms–Mailchimp (for email campaigns) and Pinterest (to share and find creative ideas). I am hoping that this small change will infuse a little bit of time back into my day. I’d love to know where you are on this social media journey. Did you already quit? Are you planning to taper your usage? Or are you adding more platforms? Sometimes the best way to make a decision is to talk about it, face-to-face.