Ever since I was off the grid from the social media world my friends thought I was going to become a hermit and roam around somewhere out in the boondocks. Which honestly sounds more fun than staring at your phone updating status after status of what your day consists of by using photos that say "#nofilternecessary" when clearly there was a filter used.
I still have no need to constantly tell people where I am, what I'm eating, what I'm doing or have the need to validate who I am as a person based on my profile page. I mean, who really likes doing that? I don't hate social media but I could live without it. Like with anything, social media is good in moderation, but if it comes to a point where it drains you more than it fulfills you, then it's a sign you need to quit it. It wasn't hard and I've learned a few things.
1. If you value your privacy, you shouldn’t use your full name on any site—and take it off public settings.
You think you disappeared from the internet since you deleted your Twitter, your Facebook, your Instagram or even your LinkedIn account, right? Wrong. If you Google yourself there are a ton of websites that publicly display your name, address, and even your phone number. A few to name would be MyLife.com, FastPeopleSearch, Intelius, TruthFinder.com and of course the Whitepages. You learn to truly appreciate a little anonymity once you quit it.
2. Do not put your full birthday on any social media website.
You might as well give everyone your social security number, too.
3. Only use your social media email for your social media accounts.
Do not use just one email for everything. It can lead to...
4. You don't have to worry about fake news.
The television and the newspaper truly are your reliable sources to get the news from. When on social media you are bombarded by a lot of fake clickbait articles that just waste your time.
5. The people you see on social media are not the people you see in real life.
A lot of people on social media present themselves with an image. Then when you actually want to speak with them or meet them in real life they are anything but the image they portray themselves to be. The social media mask is not real. There is a reason Facebook and Fakebook sound alike.
6. You realize who your real friends are over the ones who aren’t.
The people who want to hang out with you in real life are your real friends. The ones on the book of faces, who asked you to like their profile picture or just never want to hang out with you in the real world are not your friends unless they are long distance.
7. You don’t compare your life to those around you - you just live your life.
Social media does let us make connections. However, it also causes a lot of anxiety and depression. It makes you feel like you have to say what you are doing all of the time, and when you compare what others are doing to what you are doing, your life seems dull in comparison.
8. You have so much more free time.
Social media can be a big time waster if you use it excessively. It can make you miss the beautiful moments of experiencing something by caring what the picture of your experience looks like to the world instead. How would "The Breakfast Club" turn out if they were all on their phones?
9. You have a fresh start and you just forget about those haters.
Social media makes bullying worse. Children do it and what's worse is adults do it too. Its where someone can cower behind a screen and say these awful and even untrue things where it doesn't come back to them. I have personally
Although the situation was still depressing. It didn't happen right away but I did eventually forget about it when my social media was deleted. It was like being free of the past, being free of judgment, and being free with myself. When I think of it now I could care less what that person thinks of me because she doesn't define me. By quitting social media I learned how to define myself; if people ever bash you on social media, it says a lot about them and not you. By stepping away from the social media scene for a while and creating a new start, it strengthened me. I learned to not care about those who don’t really know you.
