I think Social Media is an awesome thing.
It’s kept me in touch with people I would otherwise have lost touch with years ago. Got me back in touch with people I HAD lost contact with and enabled me to run several businesses that would have been impossible 20 years ago.
But despite this, a couple of months ago I deleted the Facebook app off my phone.
And I feel pretty good about it.
I still have my Facebook account, and I still have the messenger and pages apps so I can keep up with work and messages, but the main Facebook app is gone.
Facebook had stopped being a source of joy and connection in my life, and started to become a time suck and a source of anxiety. There’s a lot to be angry and upset about in the world, and my newsfeed had become a constant litany of it. I would find myself picking up my phone and scrolling automatically. Clicking and reading articles that made me angry, made me scared, or made me sad.
I was never completely present, whether I was watching TV, or reading a book, or chatting with friends, the little red notification icon would prompt me to open Facebook and scroll, scroll, scroll and get distracted by a world of other peoples anger and frustration.
I missed the days when Facebook seemed to be all my friends sharing their dinner, humorous status updates and holiday photo albums. They’re still there, but so often drowned out by online arguments and angry news articles.
So I deleted the app, and sighed a sigh of relief. I still check Facebook on my laptop, I can even use the mobile website occasionally, just to check if I have important notifications as my Roller Derby league uses it for communication. But without the ever present app, the temptation to scroll, and scroll, and wallow, and drown in an overwhelming sea of information isn’t there.
I feel less anxious, I have more time to do important things (like scroll through Instagram and play Gardenscapes, but that’s another story maybe) and I haven’t missed a single important thing (that I know of)
I still think Social Media is an amazing thing, but like anything, it’s important to be aware of why you are using it, and what it’s doing for you. There is so much information coming at us from all directions. I have 4 email accounts, 5 Facebook pages, Facebook messenger, Twitter, Instagram, Instagram Stories, text messages and WhatsApp and sometimes it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
Remember, using any of these things is a choice, it’s not an obligation, even in the digital age, to be contactable 24/7. Don’t be afraid to delete those apps, even if it’s just for an hour while you watch a movie, or a day while you go to the park.
Comments
4 responses to “The Perils of Social Media, or Why I Deleted Facebook from my Phone”
Very good essay, I agree completely. I am taking a vaca from Facebook and don’t miss it, although I used it for many years.
You are right. It is a matter of choice! I have recently deleted all social media apps off my phone and check it all once a day in the evening. Increasingly, I don’t even do that anymore. I miss it less and less. I certainly don’t miss all the faux news on there…Russia anyone? I am now the lovely nerd in the cafe with a proper broadsheet and a cuppa. Life is better, quieter that way. And with it, I begin to hear and see more in the media silence.
I’ve done exactly the same thing recently, and for exactly the same reasons! And I’m really enjoying life without facebook. It feels like a treat to have no social media in my life and I’ve taken to actually making phone calls and writing letters (I know, letters!) to my real friends. Bliss!
If I was going to delete one of my social media apps, Facebook would for sure be the first to go. I feel like whenever I log in there’s an article about animal or human cruelty staring me in the face and you just end up feeling so depressed about the state of the world. The news is bad enough, but at least you can choose to consume it and you know what you’re getting yourself into. You go onto Facebook to catch up with a friend’s puppy and 5 minutes later you’re in tears.