By Abby Roper | Photographer
Recently, there has been an emphasis on participating in social media detoxes. As a New Year’s resolution, many avid phone users and influencers have jumped on the trend of logging out of their social media for a period of time. Often, influencers “announce” and make it known to their followers that they are leaving social media for a bit.
Social media has great qualities, including the fast transfer of news and information. Let’s be honest: Most things we hear or see news-wise are found on some sort of social media network. However, in the world we now live in, social media has become a highlight reel of perfect aesthetic moments and unrealistic life standards.
Not one person has a perfect life, so Instagram is just a space to post the best parts. It’s fun to see what others are up to, but it leaves space for comparison and feelings of inadequacy. It’s OK to live your life without putting it out for the world to see. There are so many moments I wish I would have shared on social media, but the fact that I didn’t makes them even more special. That goes to show that living in the moment and logging off can be extremely beneficial.
I think it is imperative that we make decisions that best benefit our mindset and outlook going into each day. Constant comparison not only looms in our minds when we are nonstop scrolling but also takes up so much of our time, without us even recognizing it. A study done by the Journal of Applied Social Psychology found that we spend much more time on social media networks than we think we do, thereby wasting lots of time — one of our most valuable resources.
While being a full-time college student, having a job and fulfilling volunteer commitments, I simply do not have time to be constantly scrolling. Yet, I do it anyway. Is it adding anything to my life? Probably not — other than an occasional cute dog video.
We can all be completely real for a minute: Even if we do go on a detox and log out of our socials, we are bound to re-download and find reasons to scroll. The urge to be part of viral trends and view what other people are up to is just human nature, which makes a detox a very hard thing to do. Even if it doesn’t last, I think it is worth taking the initiative to take a break and unplug.
This semester, I challenge you to take a break from social media when you are feeling like you need a rebalancing of your mindset and priorities. I know it’s easier said than done, but I can almost guarantee you will begin to have a more positive outlook. You won’t miss any important moments in your life because you won’t be too busy looking at someone else’s.
