Recently, there has been a trend of people taking a social media "detox." While I'm sure it is much needed, as social media tends to eventually have more harmful effects than benefits, cutting it out cold turkey will inevitably just make you want it more.
It's similar to a diet. We all want what we can't have, consequently increasing the appeal of something that we mean to be cutting out. Instead, the better approach would be to change your habits around that "thing."
Social media itself isn't what's harmful, it's the culture created around it. We're all showing our highlights and best moments, playing them off like they're the norm. What's dangerous about that kind of mindset is that it sets us up with impossible expectations of ourselves.
When we (inevitably) don't meet those expectations, we feel broken and less than, when really, we're just normal.
It's OK to show your highlights. Nobody wants to post about their bad days. However, we need to change our view of what they reflect.
So, instead of completely cutting off social media, I have just changed the way that I use it. I started by turning off all of my social media notifications. It may seem silly at first, but without my phone buzzing every few minutes, I have stopped mindlessly checking my apps throughout the day.
Instead, when I do use social media, it's because I have a free minute and genuinely want to check up on what's been going on. This habit has made the time that I spend on social media more meaningful and less superficial. I no longer feel the need to sit on my Instagram explore page for an hour, instead I just genuinely want to keep up with my friends.
While turning off my notifications is a start, it's definitely not a solution. A bigger culture change needs to happen that I'm not sure anybody is ready for yet. Hopefully, there will come a day when social media has more positive effects than negative because it certainly isn't going away.
It will only change with the times, and with that, we will need to change, too.
