My name is Eryn Gower and I am a social media junkie. I've been an active user of social media since I was about ten. I started with the use of Neopets and forums, moved on to MySpace and MSN, and now I'm currently using Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Thanks to the likes of Essena O'Neill and a bunch of studies done, there has been a lot of discussion about social media and the possibility of forming an addition. There is a wealth of information out there (1, 2, 3) that concludes that it is absolutely possible for us to become addicted to social media. Especially people like myself, who has essentially grown up with it (I got MSN when I was SEVEN YEARS OLD?!). When the season of Lent rolled around, I was faced with the opportunity to give up social media for forty days. I wanted to see just how a full-time working 22 year old female would be challenged by this.
How did I give it up?
I simply deleted the Twitter, Facebook and Instagram apps. I chose to not disable my Facebook account because it's linked to my Spotify and other things that I could still use. I didn't delete Snapchat. I thought, hey, this is my own challenge, and I really don't want to miss out on Tastemade's daily snaps because they might finally do an entirely vegan special with Laura Miller, so I kept it. Some say this is cheating, some don't. Again - it's my challenge and I don't use Snapchat much anyway. I think I'm too old for it.
What were the struggles?
Honestly - I didn't notice that much of a difference. I was two weeks deep into a brand new job as a first year teacher and honestly it was probably best that I didn't have the distraction around. For the most part, I was too busy to even care. I did notice some things though.
1. I was bored.
I suppose I use social media to fill in the down times in my life. The ten minute wait at the doctors that just became half an hour, the two hour train journey with not much else to do, whilst I sit at Volleyball games on a Saturday while my fiancé coaches, when I can't sleep at night... the list goes on. I found myself bored during these times and I seriously couldn't think of anything else to do. Our generation has these weird entitlement issues with always needing to be entertained for some reason and I really missed social media when I had nothing else do to.
2. I was 'out of the loop'.
I missed out on things. People got married? People had babies? People achieved great things in life? I had no idea. I still probably don't know about a lot of them (except the baby things - the good thing about new mums is they love posting photos of their adorable children. I actually love it.) and I might not ever. Is this a bad thing? Look, probably not. If I was really an important person to these people, I shouldn't have to depend on Facebook to find out they've spontaneously moved to Jamaica over night, you know? I stopped being so interested in other people's lives and I found myself completely clueless about the 99% of people I have as 'friends'.
3. It was hard to get in contact with people
I realised during this month and a half that there are far too many people in my life where the only way I can contact them is through social media. How do I not have people I've known for years phone numbers? I also had a lot of people try and contact me, and because I never announced my hiatus, they didn't know I needed to be contacted someway else. I found myself communicating with people a lot less because I had no means of communication.
4. I missed the groups I belong to
I'm a member of a lot of different Facebook groups and I really enjoy them. Do I need a really good soup recipe to use up the last of my vegetables? No problem, I'll post in Vegans in Australia! Am I looking for an oil-free alternative to something? I'll ask the people in one of the many HCLF groups I'm in. I learned to really value the fact that I have access to a wealth of resources in these groups.
5. I missed my outlet.
I'm a Twitter person. I've had Twitter since 2008 and I've used it constantly ever since. It's my outlet and I just post every single thing that comes to mind on there. It was really strange having nowhere to complain about traffic or to rant about how busy work is. I actually realised after a few weeks that this is a good thing and I learned to complain less. Hooray!
What were the positives?
As I said previously, there wasn't that much of a difference in my life without social media. However, whilst there were less positives, I definitely found that they outweighed the negatives.
1. I didn't have anyone to compare myself to.
I didn't realise this was an issue for me until it was removed. It's no secret that our generation is OBSESSED with comparison and for the most part, this occurs on social media. I don't read magazines or watch much TV, so this was all coming from Instagram for me, and let me tell you - I didn't not miss it.
I started to not worry that my meals weren't as healthy as others, I didn't look like others, and the biggest one for me; I wasn't having as much fun as others. Although I'm a massive homebody, FOMO is my middle name. I no longer had to see what everyone else was doing on a Friday night, and I learned to appreciate the fact that I'm eating Special K and watching Cat Fish in my comfiest clothes.. because that's what I'd rather do, and I didn't have to worry about anyone else. I had no idea how much fun they were having. It was FANTASTIC.
2. I slept better.
It's true what everyone says. Staring at your phone screen for three hours before sleep DOES effect your quality of sleep. I've definitely learned from this and I no longer use my phone before I go to sleep.
The verdict
I'm not addicted to social media. I don't need it. It's a time-filler and a great resource when used properly, but 100% not a necessity. It can be quite toxic and taking a break from it can be great. I am a firm believer that social media is a fantastic platform, but it's important to take a break.
Social media is only going to become more prevalent in society, so if you're like me and struggle with comparison, I really recommend taking time out and remembering that people only ever post the best of the best of their moments online. Nobody captures their bad days, but it doesn't mean they don't have them.
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