5 Lessons from A Social Media Detox
Before you assume I was jumping on yet another 'detox' bandwagon, let me just stop you right there!
I've sworn off social media before ...
[I was that friend who used to deactivate their accounts when exams and deadlines were looming.
I was also the friend that ended up receiving the comments:
'because of you - my tagged photo count has gone down by 100000'.
Don't judge, I used to be the sole photographer/uploader back then...now we all are ;)!]
...but anyway, this particular detox was not my own choice.
Remember back to when I said I had quite an eventful January?
Well, in India, we weren't all that well equipped with the internet let's just say.
And let me tell you -
there seemed to be a definite lack of open wifi!
I wasn't being hounded by emails or supposedly 'urgent' Whatsapp messages.
It was definitely a refreshing & necessary change, being forced to actually look up & notice surroundings without the immediate urgency of having to reply to anyone.
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So 5 Things I learnt from having a social media detox:
- We're actually all obsessed.
No, like....REALLY obsessed.
I think the first thing you become increasingly aware of when you don't have internet connection or aren't on your phone the whole time is
...that everyone else is.
And not in an envious way but in an incredulous way.
I think we're all quite aware of how much our phones take over our lives.
You only have to look down the tube platform or the bus stop - everyone's looking down into their screen.
It might register for a moment but then...you're looking down too.
But when you're forced to look UP, it's quite an amazing sight.
I'm used to seeing this in London, but it's a completely different yet uncannily similar experience seeing a line of Indians sitting or standing under the flyover all looking down into an internet abyss.
For anyone that hasn't seen it : Watch Look UP here
2. A Lack of Presence and Respect
[Disclaimer. I'm completely guilty of the above & I'm really trying to combat future instances of the below!]
One of my pet peeves has been, since the days of BBM back in the day, and still is talking to this image
[plus or minus the chipped nail polish]
When did it become socially acceptable to have a conversation with someone, nose down, mindlessly scrolling or typing?
Maybe because our phones or devices are just so multi-functional these days that it falls on my radar more often.
One might actually have really good intentions and be looking up directions and transport updates for you or just have googled the answer to a question you've asked.
But the truth is, if our eyes are down and our fingers furiously swiping, there's definitely going to be some part of us that's not fully present as it could be.
3. It was never that important anyway
One weirdly comforting thing I've always found, even after the post-exam Facebook reactivation was this:
nothing had ever actually really changed.
In my social media hiatus,
people were still putting up their holiday photos or selfies,
and
sharing YouTube videos
but life went on.
True, there were the friends that got engaged or the family member that gave birth.
But these announcements also came from non social media sources.
I didn't need to rely on it to be updated on my worldly happenings.
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In fact...
4. Life was actually that much more refreshing
Though I can't blame social media entirely for the dreaded #fomo [fear of missing out], letting go of the need to stay updated with every post, definitely seemed to reduce a certain level of social media 'angst'.
I found taking a breather from the internet also really helped to get some creative juice flowing.
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Lastly?
5. Social Media - it can be amazing!
So after all the above, I bet you weren't expecting that...
But I really do believe it's true.
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To be included in such a monumental family event when you're not able to attend through
-photos, videos or even lifestream?
To connect like-minded people from all over the world?
The technology that exists today, really still baffles me sometimes.
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Because that's what life's really about isn't it?
We want to capture the important moments & share them with our loved ones.
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I've said this before but I think the power of social media for good is amazing.
Remember the #NoMakeUpSelfie?
Social media really does have the power to evoke emotion, inspire & ultimately bring about change.
I just don't think its full potential has been unlocked yet.
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Have you tried a social detox before/Would you consider it?
Have you learnt anything else from a social media detox?
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Namaste | from Ananya xo
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p.s. There'll be one more Social Media related post coming soon, so watch this space!