"Do it for the 'gram."

"Gotta send a snap to my streaks."

"I didn't get enough likes."

Social media was created a little over a decade ago. The primary intention of social media was for one to connect with friends and family, regardless of distance. Social media successfully accomplished its goal because it was easier for people to keep in contact with one another with a click of a button. From there, social media completely snowballed.

Who knew social media was going to be this big? Definitely not a lot of people at the time. Social media is very prevalent today. A lot of people have social media accounts, and it seems like everything has migrated digitally, such as the news and entertainment. Yes, social media makes information more accessible, but there are some flaws in social media. In one of Communication classes, I learned the number of cases depression has increased as social media development grew. GASP. It was a high number. But we can easily talk to loved ones and Google information in seconds. Why are some people depressed? Well, I'm glad you asked.

The person who posted perspective: Social media pushes people to post the "best" versions of themselves online. Everyone cares about someone's opinion to some extent -- we are thirsty for the likes and the comments! This person constantly worries about if their posts are good enough for their "friends" and followers.

A person who sees the post: We are constantly on our phones, with social media being one of the things we look at on our phone. When we stumble upon posts that are "better" than ours, then we question our self-brand and self-worth.

My Social Media Experience:

Before I started my social media cleanse, I was constantly on my phone because of social media. I used Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram. I constantly posted on social media and I cared about how many likes I got for each post (mainly for Facebook and Instagram). I would even post my pictures during the Prime Time, 5-7pm, so I can get more likes. "@ me," but I know I'm not the only one who does this.

I'm majoring in Communication, and my concentration is in Mediated Communication and Technology. Meaning, I study how forms of media affect the way we communicate with one another and analyze content presented to the audience. Hence, I'm highly knowledgeable about navigating social media.

My junior year of college, I was actively involved in my co-ed fraternity and held leadership positions. The first semester I was the Social Media Chair, and the following semester I was the Vice President of Communications. Both positions entailed being an admin for the fraternity's social media accounts and overseeing social media activity. At a first glance, people will always say "social media is easy. You just have to post a picture, and that's it." UM, NO. There is more to these roles than posting a picture. Being an admin of the accounts, a part of a plethora of group chats for my organization, I had to deal with hundreds of notifications every day.

In terms of my self-esteem, it was good for the most part. However, there were days where I was comparing myself to the Asian girls on my feeds. They had clear skin, visible cheekbones, slim bodies, and long straight black hair, sometimes even with highlights in it. In addition, they had pictures with 200+ likes with a basic caption. Unfortunately, it is inevitable for us to compare ourselves to others because we are never satisfied with what we have. Comparison is the thief of joy.

Why I Started The Social Media Cleanse:

After having those positions in my frat, I just felt drained out being on social media 24/7. I don't even look at my notifications anymore because I was traumatized with having the hundreds of notifications. I just wanted to hide under a rock at this point because I was always around people and focused on my responsibilities but neglected myself (self-care is important!).

What motivated me to do this was when someone important in my life finally expressed that I was losing myself, and it was hard for him to watch me continuously struggle, which sometimes angered him, yet hurt him. I took what he said into consideration because I know he means well, and I'd reciprocate the expression if he were in this situation because I care and love him so much.

How to Start Social Media Cleanse:

As I mentioned before, social media is very prevalent therefore it will not be easy to get rid of all your social media accounts completely. Although I always wanted to do a social media cleanse, I was hesitant because I didn't want to "miss out" on anything. My well-being was more important so I was willing to sacrifice my awareness.

I don't encourage you to have a social media purge by deleting all your apps. Instead, start slow! I deleted a social media app off my phone every few weeks or whenever I felt like it. Currently, I still have Instagram on my phone and Facebook Messenger.

If you're not ready to delete apps, I suggest you mute your notifications so you don't have to constantly look at your phone. Instead, arrange a time where you check your social media that way you can spend your time more productively!

Reflection:

My social media cleanse has been going on for a month now. I feel better now that I'm not always on my phone. Physically, I don't have a lot of headaches anymore because I'm not consistently looking at a phone screen.

I feel more productive in terms of spending more time doing more important activities than sitting on my phone scrolling on Facebook for five hours.

My self-esteem has gotten better. I don't post at the "prime time" anymore. Instead, I post whenever I want and don't care about the number of comments or likes I get for each post.

More importantly, I'm not in a co-dependent relationship with my phone. Sometimes, I even forget I have a phone. I'm proud of myself for making it this far, and I encourage people to disconnect, at least once!