What's more embarrassing is that I could only last three days before I downloaded all of my social media apps again. I was "on a break" from social apps and social buzz, but much like Ross and Rachel from "Friends"'s relationship, (*spoiler*) it did not last.
Humans are creatures of habit and I am no exception to that statement. Every morning, when I register that I'm awake, I flutter my eyes open and groggily reach for my phone. I open it and check Twitter like it's the morning paper. I then send my "snap streaks" to several friends and family members before getting out of bed and getting ready for the day. I have a feeling I'm not the only one who does such a routine. I'd say almost all of my friends are online when I am and that we all endure a similar challenge: the challenge of not getting on our phones mindlessly, out of boredom or curiosity.
I was tired of this brainless routine, of waking up to negative tweets and the whining of people who I have never met and had just appeared on my timeline out of popularity. Spring break, I felt, would be the perfect time to detox from the mass media outlets that have a tendency to consume too much time out of my everyday life. As soon as I got on the plane, the first Friday of the break, I deleted the apps and told myself to take a week off. Unfortunately, I only lasted three full days.
Detoxing from social media is not something I haven't done before. When I first moved to Florida, I went off Instagram and Twitter for two months or so. When I did it then, I felt so refreshed and relieved of so much negative energy. The thing about social media is that it connects you to everything and disconnects you to the real world at the same time. It's so easy to get lost in the constant messages and photos produced by friends, family, colleagues, etc. It's so easy to get caught up in what's being said and posted all around the world, making it harder to be focused on what's around you. Everything posted is a constant message and influences us whether we recognize it or not. Much like when we read a book or watch a show on television, whatever we see, even for the span of a mere second, is etched and imprinted in our minds, affecting who we are based off what we consume.
Social media is the picture we paint to others of our outside life. Whether or not the picture we paint is true to reality is up to us. Most like to make an art out of their profiles, make it aesthetically pleasing. You can make it into a blog, a shop where you promote your craft for profit, a photo journal, whatever you please. While this is all convenient, it can distract our minds from being in tune with our natural selves and make us lose focus of what's around us outside of the screen. The key is making sure you remind yourself that the outside world has still so much to offer in ways that are sometimes best without a post on Instagram or even a snapshot from a camera.
While my social media "detox" over this spring break was not a success, I challenge you to try it and see what happens and see what you can get out of it. I feel that disconnecting from all apps allows us to be reconnected with ourselves and the world around us.