A Social Experiment
“Your cellphone already replaces your camera, your calendar and your alarm clock. Don’t let it replace your family.”
Like so many, I am glued to and dare say addicted to my phone. The dopamine hit of uploading a photo to my Instagram account is admittedly pathetic. It’s really hard for me to ignore a ping notification. My reasons for having social media are earnest largely because I went to an international school and have friends scattered all over the world. I also have extended family spread over the country. I feel I can’t quit cold turkey because of this. At the core, I haven’t been using social media, it’s been using me. I need to regain control and not allow an algorithm dictate how I spend my time and energy. I acknowledge that the magnetic pull I feel is the handwork of Silicon Valley tech bros and carefully crafted nonstop content, yet I accept full responsibility. I’m a creative at heart and I love photography, but I realize I can share here almost in real-time. I want to document this life season, but I need to do it for me and not for the subconscious validation of others. I intend to use social media more intentionally which means the apps won’t live on by home screen where I can passively scroll for an hour without blinking an eye. Time limit features and the Forest App are also great practical resources to curb mindless doom scrolling. Instead of voyeuristically looking at others’ live their lives, I will use it primarily as a means to communicate with IRL loved ones… and then log off/delete. I want to treat it more like e-mail and less like television. I don’t want to live vicariously through influencers but rather give my friends my listening ear and emotional currency. Most importantly, I want to exemplify good boundaries for my children who are growing up in a digital age. This experiment is by no means revolution, but necessary. I’ve long realized my habits are harmful. yet this is a spontaneous change in behaviour. Why what until the new year to form a better relationship with technology? What a gift to myself would be to find balance in this area!
*The apps I am restricting are Instagram and Facebook. I will also include TikTok although I don’t spend much time there. Social media apps I will use is Youtube as I am not drawn to that app the same way and Pinterest as I find it inspiring and fun. Also no matter what, no comment sections!
*Banner Image linked here.
