Maybe it's because I was away from social media for so long, or maybe it's just not for me, but one thing's for sure -- social media is making us dumber!
I was on Instagram for a short while in 2017-2018 when I had motivational accounts on the platform, but I ended up deleting them soon after and not regretting my decision one bit. I then started this blog and never felt the need to join Instagram again.
Fast forward to January this year -- I was embarrassed about looking like an ancient weirdo responding in the negative each time someone asked me whether I was on Instagram, and so, I set up an account. I added a few friends, relatives and colleagues, and thought that my experience would be better this time, but oh was I in for a terrible surprise -- the platform had gotten way worse than it was before!
I kept posting pictures, but soon realized that nobody does that anymore -- most people only post stories now, which disappear after 24 hours. So yes, I already looked like a fool. But that's not why I began to hate the platform, it was the reels! After the advent of TikTok, every single social media platform now has these dreaded reels - Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, even LinkedIn!! I know, crazy right?!?!
Apart from posting pictures/stories or looking at those posted by those you follow, there is not much to do other than spending hours and hours and hours watching reels, which are designed to give us a quick dose of dopamine, which soon disappears, leaving us wanting more. It's similar to the effect that junk food and sugar have on our brains. Basically, it's a nasty addiction.
The worst part is that no matter how many hours you spend scrolling through reels, you will never feel happy or satisfied, you will only feel drained. I began to feel empty, with little to no creativity or inspiration left in my being. And I'm sure that I'm not the only one, because 'doomscrolling' is a thing!
From being addictive in nature to shortening our attention spans and causing cognitive impairment, there are multiple articles online detailing the negative effects of reels.
A week or two after joining Instagram, I was so frustrated with the number of hours I was spending watching reels, that I decided to delete the app and log in only once a week, for just twenty minutes. I did that for a few months and actually felt much more at peace and in control of my time.
However, towards the end of June, the thought of logging in filled me with dread, so I postponed it to the next week. But I felt even worse the next week, so I took the "brave" decision of permanently deleting my Instagram account (yes, again!) at the beginning of July.
A side note: I also prefer to keep YouTube and LinkedIn disabled/uninstalled on my phone, to prevent the unnecessary doomscrolling and energy zapping in between the day.
I never realized how many hours I was spending on these apps, till I took a look at the Digital Wellbeing tracker on my phone. In the beginning, I was spending nearly 3 to 4 hours a day on Instagram, obviously not at a stretch, but the 10 mins here and there do add up!
Do I regret taking this step and being branded as the weirdo who can't remain active on a social media platform? Absolutely not! My mental peace and sanity are more important to me than anything else (as should be the case for everyone), and if anyone or anything is threatening that, I would always prefer to walk away. And I think that you should too!
P.S. For months I've felt a lack of creativity and inspiration to write -- who'd have known that writing about its cause would change that? *wink*
Do check out my other post on the subject titled 'A Digital Dopamine Detox'.
Thank you for reading! Stay blessed!
©TheKindTempest
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