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Lifestyle

I Deleted Social Media For 30 Days And These Are The 9 Things I Realized

Here's what it happened...

Anna King
Jun 17, 2018
Jacksonville State University
170
I Deleted Social Media For 30 Days And These Are The 9 Things I Realized
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In no way am I the stereotype millennial that can't put their phone down; in no way do I think social media is evil. That being said, everyone needs to take a break and consider its effect on them.

1. I realized how many awkward situations I find myself in

Don't tell me I'm the only one that whips their phone out to avoid awkward eye contact when I meet somebody in the street... or the hallway.. or the elevator... Without social media to pull up and hide behind, I actually had to participate in society. Spoiler: it wasn't terrible and I survived.

2. My phone battery lasted SO MUCH LONGER

In all honesty, this one freaked me out. How long do I actually spend on this stuff??? What should I do with all my free time not involving carrying a phone charger around? Will I save so much on my power bill to put a down payment on a Range Rover?? The possibilities were endless! Which brings me to my next point…

3. I got more sleep

I know we all hear about those vague studies where its "proven" that holding a bright object inches from your face in the dark or whatever is "bad for our health"…but all science aside I slept like a brick (note: I did not sleep like a baby. Has anyone ever met a baby that sleeps all night?).

4. I communicated better with the people around me

Going without likes and follows and shares and memes forced me to use my words and look people in the eyes more.. and I loved it. The amount of small talk I had to tolerate dropped when I was able to have deeper conversations and be more intentional with the people around me.

5. I lost weight

How often do we mindlessly chew on our food while we scroll through our phones? When I ate with less distractions, I actually enjoyed the food in front of me and felt full sooner.

6. I struggled to stay up to date in the news

Despite the fact that I rarely watch TV, I was surprised by how much I relied on social media to know what was going on in the world. Going without it caused me to be intentional in seeking out social and political updates, and as a result I had such better information. It was honestly refreshing.

7. I DIDN'T lose my phone as much

This was also surprising, as I am the poster child for misplacing every thing I own. However, once I got to where I only used my phone when I needed to talk to someone directly, I used my phone less and so had less trouble remembering the last time I set it down. It was magical.​

8. I realized that it was counter producitve

Social media, by definition, should link us together. An over dependency on it, however, causes people to ignore the real people around them for the sake of a shallow sense of companionship with people they don't even have a real bond with- and that's scary.

9. I came to appriciate it in moderation

In no way is social media inherently evil. Honestly, it's kind of amazing that in just a matter of scrolls we can see the highlights of our loved one's lives; but we can't let it replace person to person interaction.​

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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