Android was first launched in India in 2009 and around 2013 social media was rising in popularity. I remember when I was a teenager, social media was a topic of interest in school.
In 2013, my elder cousin came to stay with us for some days, she helped me to secretly create an account on Facebook as my family didn't allow me to be on social media, although it was fair for them to restrict me at that time. The funny part is, next day itself my elder brother found out our secret.
Lately I realised, social media is a waste of time.
A single question arose in my mind that made me to remove all my pictures from instagram, "why do we post our pictures on social media?" I just realised I had no answers. Suddenly, posting my photos seemed pointless, and even seeing other people's posts and so much about their life felt the same, from that moment I distanced myself from all the social networks.
I literally see no point in documenting and sharing our personal life with everyone out there. I mean, who wants to know what I'm having for dinner today? Or where and with whom I was hanging out last week?
Share these sweet moments with the ones who actually care and are happy in your happiness.
We pretend to be someone else on social media. Ask yourself, how many of your beautiful pictures you reject before posting that one picture on social media? We only post our picture-perfect and the best things. We are insecure about our own pictures because we feel they are not social media "worthy" this is also a reason that made me dislike the platform.
We expose so much of our personal information on social media, some of which is very personal that attracts viewers outside our trusted circle. Someone somewhere records so much of what we do on social media for reasons you may not know.
Remember this - people who are active on social networks feel a need to prove something and to show other people that they are living a fulfilled life. This speaks volumes when you really think about it. There is desperation and insecurity that resides within such people.
Social media is not wrong, the way we are using it is wrong. Overusing it is wrong. Finding your worth in it is wrong, judging people from it is wrong.
I realised I was getting obsessed over the number of "likes" and that also got me to question the use of social networks. Here's what I realised after limiting social media usage.
You'll not feel competitive.
Even if you aren't aware of it, social media brings out your competitive side. This is because social media attracts attention to your posts. Each reaction and comment is a measure of how popular a particular post is, which can make you compare with others.
This type of competitiveness is not healthy for you mentally, it can cause anxiety and depression.
You'll reconnect with the real world.
Do you connect well with others online but find yourself never connecting in person? This can be absolute for introverts.
Sadly, people who spend a lot of time on social media are more likely to feel lonely and isolated in real life.
Even if you are an introvert and uncomfortable with social interactions you can still improve your mood by going outside, take yourself out for a date and spend some time with yourself.
You'll surely feel better disconnecting from social media and reconnecting with the real world.
You will get more time.
"I am so bored" is a constant term some individuals make when they can't find something interesting on their mobile phones or TV screens.
Make use of time and do something productive in that boredom.
Pursue your hobbies whether gardening, painting, dancing, cooking or organize your wardrobe, start a small business.
These activities are much more essential than scrolling through social media. You'll even get to know your hobbies and you will have much time to polish them. Your hobby can become your career tomorrow, you never know.
You will start living the moments.
Do you post everything you do to social media while each activity of your life is actually happening?
This way of documenting your life can become a burden that takes you out of the moment. If you are living every moment of your life through the lens of social media instead of directly interacting with it, that won't allow you to experience the feeling of that moment.
Break the habit of clicking pictures of your food to post them before actually eating it. It's not needed. Try enjoying your meal this way, you will feel a lot better.
I noticed how I felt better when I limited myself from the platform.
Cutting down on my social media usage enabled me to revive hobbies such as writing, blogging, photoshop and illustrator.
There is nothing social about a platform when it has a more negative than positive effect on your health and well-being.
If you find yourself feeling negative because of social media, I hope you reduce using it. It's worth the taste of freedom you'll get from disconnecting.
0 Comments