Starting in 2016, I set out to cut off much of my time on social media. I spent too much time on it, and I knew that I wasted most of my days just staring at a phone. I wanted to end that. I wanted to open my eyes, start doing new things and give myself time to just focus on me. I know I could have done more with the spare time I had. So that's what I did.
To an extent, I still used it the same amount during the beginning of the year. It was only during Lent that I actually gave social media up for good, and I can tell you that it was one of the best things that I have ever done. It completely changed my view on social media. I have no reliance on it at all, not anymore. I barely spend any time on my phone, and I only really use it to talk to some friends and to listen to music. I do still use Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. But I'm not on them all the time anymore. I see some importance to social media, but I also see it as a sort of poison. It takes control of our lives. We care so much about the next Tweet or post. We also worry about the follower to following ratio, what picture can get the most likes, if our next tweet will get a bunch of retweets and that's just not a way to live.
Now what can I say about my decision?
We shouldn't be worried about how our accounts look to the public world, and just rely on these platforms to keep up with someone's daily life. Instead of following someone on social media, why don't we actually text or call each other? And if you don't have a number you can message them through social media. It would be really appreciated by the person you're talking to, and a one-on-one conversation is much more personal than just watching their life from the sidelines. Now, I'm not saying that everyone should stop using social media and begin to look at it the same way that I do. No, these are just my views and my beliefs. At the end of the day, the accounts you use are yours and yours alone. Go ahead and use them however you want. Live your life the way you want to live, not the way others tell you to or how society dictates.
