The End of Social Media
The End of Social Media has begun in my world. Several months ago, I deleted all my social media accounts. I still watch videos on Youtube but have unsubscribed from 98% of what I was watching. On Youtube, I have a playlist of praise and worship songs, Teddy swims playlist, a cooking channel, and some work related channels. I do not post on Youtube at all. Facebook, instagram, LinkedIn (is that even a social media site?) are all done. Pinterest may be something I still have but I never go on there. Frankly, Pinterest stresses me out. I don’t understand it, Pinterest is overwhelming and I have no desire to look there at all.
Is There a Reason?
There are a lot of reasons that I “unplugged” from social media. The number one thing is that I didn’t feel safe, it took up time, the little squares of life are so deceitful, and I was comparing myself to others way too much.
Do you ever look at where you spend your time? At stoplights, doctors offices’, bathrooms, at the table, when you are bored, etc. I found myself aimlessly scrolling. I didn’t want my grandkids and children to see me with a screen in front of my face. There was one point, I walked into the living room and all my children were scrolling their phones, as was my husband.
I was not making human connections and I was dissociating through social media. The people I followed, that I thought had it all together and made all the things look perfect, well… there is no perfect. One lady, with 8 kids and homeschools, her husband is allegedly abusive and they are getting a divorce. Another mom of 8, filthy rich, faithful to her religion, and married for a long time…getting a divorce due to allegedly having an affair. A family vlog mom was arrested due to starving/abusing her 2 youngest kids (out of 6) and is in prison.
Is There a Downside of Deleting?
There are a few downsides of deleting social media. One is that I have lost a dear friend because I deleted my social media and wasn’t good about reaching out to her. That hurts my heart and I tried to explain that I love her but she was hurt and her feelings are valid.
Another downside is that I don’t know what is going on with family. They post, I am sure, all these updates and I’m oblivious to them. Pregnancies, death, graduations, health scares, prayer requests, proms, births, etc if a friend has any of these things, I don’t know unless they text me. I still have messenger, so those that don’t have my cellphone can still message me. When things happen, in my life, I can’t write a post to update everyone. I have to call/text one by one. Clearly, I am not good at reaching out to people.
Overall, I am happy with this decision, though I do miss my friend. My depression was really bad (not due to social media but life) and instead of facing my demons, I dissociated. There has been a lot of soul searching, asking for prayers from my mom, a few trusted people, and my husband.
What do I do Now?
Instead of aimlessly scrolling, I people watch, read, organize pictures, clean my house, listen to my children, play in the floor with my grandchildren, work puzzles, play Scrabble, and organize. I am practicing self-care, and continue to try and reduce my stress. I have strengthened my relationship with my husband, I call my mom (almost daily), and am starting to study for a big test. Life is just as good, if not better, without advertising what I am eating, where I am going, what I am doing, or discussing my children on social media.
It’s good. I challenge you to start small. Turn off your notifications, delete people who are not truly your friends, unfollow some of your “reposting” friends, and delete the app off your phone so you have to go online to get into it. Private ALL your pictures because you never know who is looking and predators are everywhere. DO NOT post pictures of your children’s faces. Keep them safe from the unsavory people of this world. Once you get used to not seeing notifications every 5 seconds, go into settings, save your facebook, instagram, or other social media history and pictures that you have shared and deactivate (not delete) your accounts.
Then….enjoy your freedom and peace.
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