I’ve been considering taking a break from social media.
Not only because it has taken a huge portion on time that could be used for productivity, but it has taken a toll on my health. I’m not necessarily saying that the internet couldn’t be of use (because I still write) However I feel time should be taken away from the exposed injustice from Facebook, to the misperceptions of beauty on Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. I waste 90% of my day on either one of these social networks and I’m always saddened by what I see.
And it’s the same thing over and over.
Someone is always commenting about how someone needs to raise their child, or how someone isn’t of a certain nationality because of the color of their skin. Your opinions are respected, all of you, but don’t attack someone with your coward twitter fingers and try to enforce that your cyberbullying will make someone think that what you feel is right. What makes me upset is that most people don’t even realize that what they’re doing is cyberbullying. “I’m just stating my opinion.” What you’re doing is ruining someone’s self-esteem. Didn’t your mother teach you if you had nothing nice to say don’t say anything at all?
Just the other day I was reading into the Brock Turner rape case. That drew the line for me.
But that’s a whole other article.
Sure, social networks can keep us aware of important things that are happening around the world, including our presidential election. However, I’m barely seeing anything productive towards that.
No, what I mostly see is the crimes adults will inflict amongst each other, black, white, Asian, Hispanic as well as crimes adults will inflict on children or even animals.
It’s disgusting.
More or less, I’m seeing that image of a woman: the perfect woman according to men in our society:
“Now every girl is expected to have Caucasian blue eyes, full Spanish lips, a classic button nose, hairless Asian skin with a California tan, a Jamaican dance hall ass, long Swedish legs, small Japanese feet, the abs of a lesbian gym owner, the hips of a nine-year-old boy, the arms of Michelle Obama, and doll tits.”
Tina Fey couldn’t have said it any better.
Instead of reading a book, or going to a friend’s house on a regular basis or trying to pick up a hobby that has NOTHING to do with social media, I’m on my Instagram, wondering why I can’t be as happy as a girl who’s flawless everyday 100K followers and the ability to go anywhere in the world she wanted.
Then I realized I can be happy.
All I ever needed to do was logout.
Disconnect.
Find that thing that makes me as happy as those people on my social media accounts. Being a millennial kid, having this be 85% of my childhood, it’s going to be a lot harder than it looks. I’ve pretty much already broken away from Twitter. That’s it.
I’m not saying completely break away from the internet. Just break away from depending on it. If you have to check your Instagram or your Facebook, Twitter or Snapchat right when you wake up to start your day, you may have a problem. Of course if your job has something to do with social media then this article obviously for you.
This article is for those that don’t have the best levels of self-esteem because they see on social media that the way they look isn’t the ideal image for men or women. This article is for the ones that need an offline method to regaining their sanity after seeing repetitive violence and poor practice of politics on a day to day basis.
Do not throw your laptop away
Do not toss your phone out the window
Leave your tablet on the desk
Just log out. When you feel it is safe for you to get back on the internet without you losing your conscience or confidence. You just get right back on. (No, a day doesn’t count.) I’m talking a week to start because I don’t want to pressure someone to do something I couldn’t accomplish myself.
Consider this a fast of social media. It’s okay to disconnect. As long as you work on trying to reconnect to something that matters.
