Social Media Shut Down

I’ve decided to take a break from social media for the time being.

This was something I did for a month last summer, and I hope to be able to do it again for even longer this time.

After this long year at school I decided to do this because:

I need a serious break from the people at school, especially the not so great ones
I noticed I’ve been spending too much time on my phone lately
The best time to be care free and in the moment is in the summer surrounded by family and friends

How I hope this will benefit me:

I’ll actually get a real break from school and the people there
I won’t know what everyone was up to this summer-
- This is definitely a conversation starter for when we go back. Also I won’t feel like a stalker since I won’t know a play-by-play of everyone’s whole summer through snap stories and instagrams
I’ll be present and in the moment- especially on family days, vacations, and even just days hanging around with friends
This will definitely show me who genuinely cares
- It’s so easy to just snapchat someone a picture, send them a tweet, or like their instagram. However, I’ve noticed that its become even harder for people to send a text and hold a conversation that lasts for more than 10 minutes. This definitely shows me who is willing to make an effort to stay connected on a deeper level over the summer.

Although I have decided to keep Facebook in order to stay in touch with my soccer team and share these posts, I have deleted everything else. And when I say deleted I mean it’s gone. Not just deleting the app, because I know we all try that and fail very quickly.

Instead of just deleting the app, I deleted and disabled my snapchat, instagram, VSCO, and twitter so no one can see my account and it won’t appear when people try to search it. Honestly, the only way you’ll actually give up social media is by really and truly deleting it- because if you can just re-download it with a push of a button, I guarantee you will when you’re bored.

Now, I’m sure you’re curious as to how I’m surviving- So here’s week 1’s Social Media Shut Down update:

It’s been about a week without all of these various social media platforms and to be honest I don’t really miss it.

I haven’t really thought about it that much, especially with finals, moving out, and just getting home.

However, I did think about it when:

I was trying to distract myself during studying during the last days of finals
My friends talking about instagram posts they saw or posted (especially the stonehill doppleganger insta and end of the year posts)
When I saw something funny I wanted to take a picture of and show to my friends
When I’ve been bored at home

I think this week alone has made me realize a few things about social media:

It’s okay to not follow everyone from your school, or people you don’t like
You don’t need to accept people’s follow requests, even if they know you-
- If you don’t want someone to see what your up to or your posts then don’t feel obligated to let them
If people are posting things you don’t like or don’t want to see- whether it’s political, rude, or just half naked bikini pics, you can unfollow them!!
- Don’t feel obligated to keep following someone just because you know them and they’ll get mad
Why follow someone on social media if you don’t care what they’re doing? I care about a handful of people and what they’re doing, but other than that I really couldn’t care less- sorry.
Post things for yourself, not for others to see or “like”.
- I think one of the worst things I see people doing is post a picture just to see if the guy they like will like it, or to make friends or their significant others jealous.
- Personally, I look at social media as a picture/memory book that I’m excited to look back on one day for MYSELF.
Stop thinking you’re “missing out” if you’re not connected.
- If important things are happening that you should know about, I guarantee you’ll find out eventually!
You will get waaaay more stuff done when you don’t have social media
There’s better things to do than sit on your phone!

When this will be the most challenging:

When it’s my friends birthdays
When I do fun things with my friends
When I go to NYC tomorrow morning and will want to post a cool picture to instagram or snapchat to show I’m there

I can’t wait to use this time to focus on my blog, my friends and family, and most importantly myself!

I challenge you to give up social media, maybe for just a day, a week, or even longer! I promise you, nothing bad will happen!!