Social media is meant to be used sporadically and definitely not for hours on end. But here we are with social media apps at our fingertips, literally. It takes seconds to get onto any number of your social media accounts, you don't even need to log in anymore. It seems that most people are almost addicted to social media. 89% of adults from 18-29 use social media and 72% of all adults that use the internet are social media users. Social media absolutely has its benefits, it helps keep people in touch, lets users express themselves, and even gets news and information out globally, most news stations have Facebook and are periodically sending out stories about what is happening around the world. But is it okay to be spending as much time on social media as we do, as a society?
It seems that users, especially young users, are relying on social media to determine their self-worth. Users will determine how attractive they are by how many likes they get on an Instagram post, or how funny they are depending on how many favorites they get on a tweet. And as we all know, using our own rational thought, that that is an insane way to think, but yet at one point or another we have all had those exact thoughts.
Social media isn't meant to determine your self-worth, and it is not meant to be used obsessively. Raise your hand if you check your Twitter/ Facebook/ Instagram? Snapchat right after you wake up every morning. It's ok, we all do it, I definitely did it. Until I decided to take a social media hiatus. I deleted all the apps on my phone and only allowed myself to use Facebook, from my computer, once a day.
There are so many benefits of stopping using your social media! I get so much more done, I am no longer using social media as a tool to aid my procrastination. Goodbye FOMO. FOMO is Fear of Missing Out, and social media allows FOMO to exist. Choosing to stay in one night to study and catch up on some sleep instead of going out is a perfectly good decision. But once you see those Snapchats of all your friends out, you are bound to get FOMO. Without even having Snapchat, you can have your night with Netflix in peace!
Once you get rid of your social media you will start determining your life and your self-worth based on substantial things, not on how many likes you get, or how someone else's weekend looks through he Snapchat lens.Everyone lives look better on social media, social media is meant to showcase the good and hide the bad in everyone's lives, and with that, you are tricked into believing that other people's lives are seemingly perfect while yours may have more problems than you can even count. It's hard to remember that everyone's lives aren't what they portray online, and in that I feel that it is good for your mentality to take a break from social media for a while.
Everyone should take a social media break. Delete all the apps from your phone for one month, and see what happens. Of course, some apps, aren't as bad as others, like Youtube or LinkedIn, but you have to use your own discretion to decide what it is that you can't seem to live without, and then live without it. Sure, you are going to miss it, you might have a slip-up or two. But in the end, it will be worth it. You're going to be more present, you aren't going to let social media dictate your own value simply because you no longer have it! Social media is great, but everyone needs a little break every so often to come back to Earth and re-balance themselves.
