Like any other typical millennial, I'm pretty darn addicted to social media. Even though I don't post on it much myself, I've found it's the only way I can keep up with everyone else's lives.
But as someone who doesn't like people much to begin with, this is extremely frustrating for me. I know how much time I waste on social media and I know I don't care about half of what I see, so why can't I just delete all of the apps and call it quits for good?
Social media has become ingrained into our minds as a necessity. We're afraid that if we log out even for a second, we'll miss something.
We all know that hardly anything actually interesting ever happens during our countless hours of scrolling through our phones. However, as I've recently toyed with the idea of deleting an app or two, I've found myself greeted by an unbeatable sense of FOMO, or "fear of missing out."
I'm afraid that I'll delete Instagram and I'll miss engagement photos, baby pictures, pregnancy announcements, and any other major life events the people I'm following may share. I'm afraid if I delete Twitter, I'll miss all of the latest sports news and celebrity scandals. I'm afraid if I delete Snapchat, I'll miss all of the funny stories my friends post.
The real question is, why do I care?
Why do I even care if I miss all of these things? At most, if I see a major life announcement, I might send it to my boyfriend to show him who's pregnant or who's engaged. I might even leave a "Congratulations!" on the post. But after that whole minute of acknowledging the post...I'll just keep on scrolling.
What I, and many of us, really need to focus on is the fear of missing out on the real world around us.
I should be focusing more on my hobbies, connecting with my friends, and doing my schoolwork. I should be focusing more on reading and applying for internships. I should be more worried about my overall diet and fitness and work on bettering myself. I should be more focused on going outside and enjoying our beautiful planet. I should be engaging in more self-care.
We waste so much precious time being sucked into our screens so we can see what everyone else is doing. We don't want to miss a thing. What we should REALLY be afraid of is what we're missing in our own lives. That's why I want to start quitting social media: to focus less on the lives and opinions of others and more on myself.
