After reading an article about Australian social media guru, Essena O’Neill, deleting her social media accounts and launching a website focused on living life without the constant demands and pressures of likes and followers, I found myself contemplating what really matters to me and my life right now. O’Neill’s website, which explains through a series of homemade videos “game changing” posts and explanations of her Instagram captions and photos that although she accumulated more than half a million followers on her Instagram account, she still felt inadequate. Always “looking up” on that number, wanting more, feeling she needed more in order to be validated.
She explains, in a series of videos on the site, that since she was a young girl she has felt the need to be accepted via the Internet, posting only what would get the most likes. She realized just a few weeks ago that she didn’t want to be that person anymore. She has quit all social media including Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, and now opts into practicing yoga and meditation, and opts out of submitting to media of any kind (including TV), and has also not worn makeup for two weeks. O'Neill explains this is all in an effort to get to know herself without the screen -- she notices more, does more with her time, finds herself exploring her creativity and awareness, and has become happier in just the little time it took to launch this campaign.
If I’m being honest with myself and others, I can say I recall countless times going places with my sister or friends just to get pictures to post on social media, where we posed for hundreds of pictures before we found ones we deemed worthy, then we’d put the perfect right filter on it, and watch and wait, as we were all refreshing our feeds like addicts, watching our value through likes and comments grow. I am positive I am not the only one to experience this -- in fact, I can most certainly attest that the majority of this generation does the exact same thing.
In truth, there has always been a part of me that has resented social media. While it appears to now be a vital and constant staple in today’s society and to my generation, in general, I constantly find myself wondering many of the same questions O'Neill poses and challenges through her website’s platform. Why do we depend so heavily on the tiny screen in our palm? Why do we need others' likes to validate ourselves, to make ourselves that these people really like us or are our friends? Does liking someone’s perfectly posed and edited content really make you like them, and is this content really how you want others to see you? How you want to see yourself?
After taking a long time to mull over these questions in my head, I decided to take O'Neill's challenge posed on her website’s home page. Go off the grid and remove myself from all social media for one week. Some people might be thinking one week without social media is no big deal. To others, they're having a panic attack just reading this. However, I decided to take one week to try to focus on real issues, real people, real life. How hard could it really be? Each day, I recorded my feelings and observations, in order to get a clear and distinct understanding of my thought processes throughout the week and to keep track of my progress.
Day one, Monday.
I am skeptical. I know this experience is meant to be cleansing, but I find myself bored and almost anxious, instinctively typing the beginning of “Facebook” into my search URL every time I open my computer. I have erased the Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, and Facebook applications from my iPhone (as well as less known social media apps, Whatsgoodly and Yik Yak), though I haven’t actually erased these accounts. For now, I have been focusing on other things to keep me busy -- homework, cooking, going to class, and calling my mom. It just feels weird to not have any distraction.
Day two, Tuesday.
Still, I'm feeling a little skeptical. Social media not only stands as a way to communicate and connect with others in my life, but it is also hugely important for me in terms of my extracurricular activities (sending and receiving important messages, and getting dates and details for events, etc., which without so has already proved to be challenging because I had to have my sister log in to my Facebook and send some timely messages for me). I think it’s important to note that this says something about our generation’s culture -- if you don’t have social media, you can’t be nearly as connected or involved as those that do. Overall, today I spent way more time studying, being productive, focusing and paying attention in my classes, and getting things done, and spent no time procrastinating or distracted. It’s also kind of nice not being tuned in to what everyone else is doing -- and just focusing on me.
Day three, Wednesday.
I feel really good about this. Not constantly obsessing over what others are posting, as well as what others are posting about me and liking of mine is honestly incredibly liberating. I have found more time to just do things in the past few days than honestly any other time I can think of in college. I’ve found I’m less stressed and can actually sleep better not constantly burdened and tempted to check my friend’s Snap stories or Instagram posts.
Day four, Thursday.
Honestly, I really don’t even notice that social media is missing from my life anymore. Possibly because the term “missing” might not be the right word -- I don’t feel like I’m missing anything by not having it. In short, I just feel productive and happy.
Day five, Friday.
Last day to not use social media, but I’m pretty sure I won’t be re-downloading the apps any time soon. While I do plan on catching up on notifications on my various platforms, nothing is driving me to recommit or reconnect into any of them. O'Neill is right -- social media rules so much of our lives, we barely even notice anymore. But, we should take notice because when we do notice, we also notice so much more, as I have this week. I’ve noticed how much of my time is wasted every day just by looking at a small screen. I’ve noticed people more, and interacted with them more than I ever have before. But most importantly, I think this week has been incredibly valuable in the never-ending creation of a beautiful relationship with myself. By being off the grid and away from worrying about what everyone else was doing -- and no one being able to see what I was doing -- my life feels so much private and intimate to me and myself.
I encourage everyone to give this challenge a try and to consider becoming a game changer and questioning social media's standards and implications. You might find you like it, like I did, or you might not. Regardless, whether you stay tuned in or opt to tune out, let this serve as a reminder that life is inherently more beautiful when you look up from the screen.
