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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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even moving my social media to a different page on my phone sort of broke the habit enough for me to use it less and less. i definitely feel better about being out of the doomscrolling pit
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i do this every once in a while. especially when i feel a sudden sense of impending doom or overwhelming responsibility. or when i just feel like i need to hear/see less information. and maybe have an extra certain degree of choice in what im being exposed to on a daily.
just less noise in life. feels great to detach from it all sometimes.
find myself asking the question, “how are you?” out of genuine curiosity rather than obligatory small talk. it’s scary how much we can end up relying on social media to give us a false sense of personal connection with others.
excluding this app ofc. bc it doesn’t make me feel like my brain is rotting.
Apr 16, 2024
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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!!
Oct 31, 2024
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The past few months I have been in full comfort rewatch mode. I find going back to things I've already seen is soothing and a nice way to wind down. I'm rewatching favorite movies, favorite series... most recently including Sex & the City, Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Holiday, Dexter.
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I'm a big Ethel Cain fan and I heard this remix first on Tiktok. Last week, I blasted this song in my living room and danced with my boyfriend, Jack. Fully chaotic jumping, spinning, sweaty dancing. Dancing is incredibly cathartic and such a good way to move stuck energy through your body-- I don't go to clubs hardly ever or take dance classes, so I'm trying to make more of an effort to "dance on my own" (hehe, song title). It's good for the soul.
Feb 7, 2025
I fear we're living in a time where empathy seems to be severely lacking among us. Fear and hatred is shoved into our faces daily if not hourly by the news and other media... it's no wonder we can't seem to connect to other people. I think this ties in with less social media and more real life. Engaging in my friendship circles more, going out of my comfort zone by showing up in person, even if I'm tired. Feeling compassion, connection, and empathy for others goes a long way -- and in a time where a lot of things are out of our control, we can be in charge of dishing out some more love. So I'm working on that.
Feb 7, 2025