A Simpler Life
I'm writing this post after watching If You Could Live a Life Without Social Media... by Jensen Dot. Be sure to watch the video; his filmmaking is excellent!
Social Media has become an integral part of our lives. Hell, even some of our grandparents and older relatives use it, or at least know what it is. Both a way to be connected and a way to be disconnected from the real world.
Most of the time, when I'm bored and don't have any real responsibilities, especially in summer, I start scrolling on my phone. Hours pass, and I don't even realize how much I spent scrolling and watching pointless videos I learned nothing from.
While it's good that I acknowledged that I use social media (and my devices in general) way too much, it's still not easy to just get rid of social media or devices in general.
Jensen, in his video, mentioned that he was afraid that if he deleted social media that he would miss out on what's going on with friends, others, and the world in general. This is one reason I still haven't quit social media at all. The fear of missing out and the fear of being the weird one in the group.
In his video, Jensen said that the fear of missing out just went away with time and that he realized that there's nothing he is really missing out on. And when he did miss out on something, it didn't affect him or his life at all.
And when I look at it that way, I can totally see the same.
The time he had now that he didn't scroll when he was bored allowed him to think about the future and to appreciate what life has to offer and actually LIVE it.
But it's hard for me to just "disappear" from social media, especially being an extroverted 15-year-old. Even though meaningful human connections are made in person, it's still an inconvenience and kind of a weird thing to say to someone that you don't have any social media. And while the people you have or have made meaningful connections with won't mind, I still think that you shouldn't just delete social media.
Social media allows us to connect with each other, but using it too much gets us the opposite effect - disconnectedness. That's why I decided I'm going to limit my social media use (for example, by using screen time limits on iOS) and try to control the urge to endlessly scroll. By limiting my social media use, I can still connect with others and not miss out on anything (even though there's nothing much to miss out on) while ending the unhealthy habit of doom-scrolling.
One thing to remember is that for a true human connection, you don't need to have social media; you just need to be yourself. The right people won't mind. But you don't need to delete social media once in for all, just limit it, and control yourself.
Day 50 of #100DaysToOffload. ½ of the way there, and I have until August!
