As shocking as it sounds, I went on a one week social media detox, or you could say that I tried to not use my phone for a week. You are probably wondering why... It is because I started to think about how much we let technology consume us. I observed how most people are constantly staring at their phone screen, and I found myself guilty of it as well.
I've come to find the phone as the biggest distraction of all. For example, I could be spending my time in so many other productive ways, but instead I'm scrolling through Instagram or Pinterest. I believe choosing social media over productivity is the case for most people because it becomes addicting. We like to look at other people's life's, basically, and stay updated on what they are doing. We enjoy communicating and seeing all kinds of pictures and ideas, but is there a point where we lose track of our own lives? Can one let the phone screen take over them enough to where they constantly look at someone else's feed, not doing anything for their own benefit?
Social media also causes tragic accidents in the case of being a distraction. A lot of us look at our phones while driving, when such few seconds could cause a life threatening mistake. Our society has become so attached to staying updated on the media that we have sacrificed simple safety measures on the road. So not only do phones distract us from work, but they distract us from driving. I would guess that if we set aside our phones when behind the wheel, there would be way less accidents, and deaths.
Another observation I noticed was that every time I went out to eat, the tables around me were full of families not talking, but looking at their phones. As busy as everyone is, it would make sense for us to want to spend quality time with our family over a meal, but even that has become overthrown by a phone. Couples don't say hardly anything to each other because they have their heads in their phones. It is quite sad when there is a person right in front of you or beside you to talk to, but yet you would rather talk to the person you can't even see behind the screen. The real moments are the ones that count, because they are the ones you can ever get back.
It took me a while to discover that after I went on social media a lot through out the day it affected my mood in a negative way. There is so much depressing news and posts on the media. Whether people realize it or not, they feel down after seeing or reading negative things. Social media is the outlet for so many different opinions, standards, and ways of millions of people to openly show themselves to the world. More than likely, you come across at least one or two posts that upset you or cause negative emotions to arise.
After cleansing myself of social media for a week, and it was definitely not easy, I will say that it felt really good to not feel attached to my phone. My mood improved, as I was acting on positivity, and my time was better spent productively. I'm not saying that there isn't great things about a phone, because there is, but I'm saying you should stop and think about how much you are letting it take over your life. Everything in moderation, right? A phone should be something we all strive to use in moderation so that we don't share the same addiction. So do you think you need a social media/phone cleanse? I say to accept the challenge.
