These days we are so plugged into the collective global consciousness that is social media, we often forget what it was like before we had such tools at our disposal. I never forgot.
On the other hand, I don't have a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or any other type of social media more intricate than text message. This information shocks a lot of people, specifically people around my age. They have no frame of reference for why someone would ever opt out of social media. The technology informs their lives so completely that they can’t imagine life without it. I have an outsider’s perspective on social media and while that isn’t completely rare, an outsider’s perspective on social media from an American millennial is.
I didn’t always opt out. When I was younger, I was an early adopter of Twitter and I had an account for a period of a few months before I came to the conclusion that the whole experience wasn’t for me. It was information overload. Sending out constant updates of my life was exhausting and keeping up with the updates of other people was even more so. I never felt as relieved as the day I deleted my account. I was battered with text messages from various friends and family members about where my Twitter presence went and when I explained that I simply lost interest, I was met with complete and total bafflement.
The truth is that while social media can be a valuable and useful tool, it can also be a toxic one. When you’re on social media, you only see the things that other people decide to post. This means that you’re seeing the highlights of everybody else’s lives, while you’re living the entirety of your own. This filter can lead to a strong sense of missing out, or the belief (most likely false) that everybody’s having a better time than you are.
It feels really freeing to be unplugged. When I’m with a group of friends and they’re all on their various social networks, it almost seems like they’re hypnotized by their phones. They obsess about what so-and-so posted or tweeted or how many likes their latest Instagram post got. To an outsider, it all seems like unnecessary stress. Life doesn’t have to be punctuated with various status updates or timelines. Anyone can opt out and I highly recommend it.
It’s simply a matter of solitude. I have enough stresses in my own life, so I can’t be concerned with the problems and triumphs of hundreds of my peers and distant friends. There’s a lot to be said for being able to simply turn your brain off when you don’t have to use it, and social media takes away that luxury. Quitting may seem counterintuitive to this modern era in which we reside, but I advise trying it in the short term – a social media detox, if you will. Just spend a few days without Twitter, Instagram or whatever else you compulsively check 10 times a day. Who knows, you might like being a ghost.
