I’ve been off of social media for almost 6 months.
With the exception of tumblr, Pinterest, and youtube. And before you say well those are social medias too, yes you’re right they are social media. The difference is how I use them. Instagram and Pinterest are two completely incomparable vibes. On instagram, I’m always overthinking it, and try to make my life seem as picture perfect as i can.
Where as on Pinterest and tumblr i don’t feel the need to be seen as a perfect human, though i still don’t allow my “moments” or my business on these sites either because somethings just don’t need to be shared. But on these site I feel as if i can relax a bit more and share my thoughts and how my brain works without the need for them to be validated. Maybe its because Im not directly posting myself and that I know that the odds are someone in real life connecting this blog to me are slim to none.
These sites feel slower and a bit more grounding for me. Mainly because I use them as a way to track myself, my thoughts, my affirmations, my goals, my dream self. Where as on other socials you’re bombarded with other peoples lives, what new thing they’re doing, whats going on in their lives. And by constantly seeing it your mind is constantly think of it and comparing. Comparison is the thief of joy, you’ll never truly be happy if you’re always worried about what the next person is doing.
Of course as any young adult these days knows, navigating life without social media is hard. Not only in the sense that you feel as if you’re out of the loop and missing out on things that your peers are doing, but in the fact that being without social media makes you realize how much of your time you’ve spent on it. Now you feel restless, bored, you don’t know what to do, every time you pick up your phone you’re itching for instagram, facebook, or twitter. Without these sites you have to sit with yourself and your thoughts.
I will say my life has been much slower without these apps, I’m more focused on my next move instead of which one of my mutuals got cheated on today and wondering if my significant other will cheat on me. I can say that without these apps I feel better, not only about myself but there is a genuine relief in not knowing everything that is going on in everyones life across the world.
We were not built to process that much information. And the privacy that comes with not spending every free moment of social media feels great. You can feel the authenticity of every moment come back. You can hang out with your friends and take pictures that you actually enjoy because they’re not “instagramable”. Not that your life cant be aesthetically pleasing but, some of the more enjoyable experiences are not the most aesthetic things.
You don’t have to leave social media entirely for these benefits either. As i said earlier I use Pinterest, tumblr, and youtube. And my instagram is still up, though I removed 90% of my followers and privated my page. It all depends on what works best for you, what you want out of this social-medialess (?) experience. Do what makes you truly happy and comfortable. And remember you don’t have to explain yourself to anyone. Saying “because i wanted to” or “ just because” are valid statements and you don’t have to go any further.
germansingergirl
snowghoul
tangentwithtanner
baratheonpilled
discoholicmusic
prguitarman
