Summary

The author found significant personal and professional improvement by deleting Facebook and Twitter from their phone, leading to better sleep, enhanced relationships, and increased motivation for writing.

Abstract

The article details the author's experience with social media addiction during the COVID-19 pandemic, which severely impacted their writing career, personal relationships, and daily habits. After recognizing the detrimental effects of excessive scrolling on Facebook and Twitter, the author decided to remove these applications from their phone. This decision resulted in a substantial positive change, including a renewed focus on writing, improved sleep patterns, and healthier interactions with family and friends. The author notes that while the temptation to revert to old habits remains, the benefits of reduced social media use are clear, with a newfound sense of motivation and satisfaction in their work and personal life.

Opinions

The author believes that social media, particularly Facebook and Twitter, was damaging their ambition and productivity.
They express that the constant barrage of content on social media was contributing to a lack of motivation and creativity in their writing.
The author suggests that social media is becoming increasingly filled with outrage and hate, which negatively affects personal relationships and societal empathy.
They feel that the original purpose of social media, which was to connect and share joy, has been lost to divisiveness and negativity.
The author acknowledges that while they still use social media for professional purposes, they have significantly reduced personal use and feel much better for it.
They indicate that the decision to delete social media apps from their phone was a pivotal choice that led to recognizing the value of in-person interactions and the importance of focusing on personal goals.

Deleting Facebook And Twitter Off Of My Phone Was The Best Decision I Made This Year

After three months, there is a significant change.

I’m going to say it. COVID-19 killed any ambition I had in 2020. A year I thought would’ve helped me grow as a writer while enjoying a gap year from ESL teaching instead had me laying around the house scrolling through my phone.

I spent so much time scrolling through Facebook and Twitter I nearly stopped writing. Which meant I wasn’t making money. I lost interest in reading and practicing my Chinese. I didn’t even want to go anywhere. I didn’t want to spend time with family and friends. My relationships suffered, but I couldn’t stop. All I wanted to do was stay in my room, scrolling.

Sometimes, I’d download a cell phone game and get hooked on it for something different. My addiction to the games got so bad I looked suspicious when I was around other people. Anyone would’ve thought I was hiding something serious.

Eventually, I’d delete the games, but I’d go back to Facebook and Twitter. All-day, every day, laying in bed scrolling. I couldn’t stop. Even though I knew I was damaging my budding writing career. Even though I saw it damaging friendships and relationships, it wasn’t enough. I scrolled and scrolled like I didn’t care; I wasted so much time.

And then, one day, I had enough and deleted both Facebook and Twitter off of my phone. I couldn’t handle it anymore. It affected my job and relationships in such a way I didn’t recognize who I was anymore.

Nearly four months later, I feel so much better. Facebook and Twitter are still not on my phone. I sometimes go on through my laptop to catch up on what family and friends are doing, but I don’t spend all day there. I’m happier and more motivated to keep building the life I want to live.

Taking time off my phone motivated me to build my writing career

In the months following deleting social media, I saw a lot of changes in my writing career. I felt more motivated and confident to try new publications and challenge myself with writing contests.

I stopped scrolling and started creating. It stopped being about content and coming up with more interesting stories for people. My confidence in my writing abilities increased. And I work on new projects every day.

I still have my days where I want to jump on social media, but I forget I got rid of it. But once I see it’s not on my phone, I put it down and move on with my life. I put my focus back on my projects and keep doing what I’m doing.

I sleep so much better

At my worst, I stayed up late looking through my phone. I’d go to bed super late and wake up well past noon. If I got up in the middle of the night, I took my phone with me, even to get a drink of water. It didn’t matter if I had time to look through it or not. I needed to have my phone at my side at all times.

Now, I have the occasional day where I’m up until two or three in the morning, but it doesn’t stay that way. It happens maybe once a week, but I wake up early enough to cancel out any of the damage.

I have more time in the day now from sleeping and waking up earlier than usual. I don’t plan on changing that part of my day any time soon.

My relationships improved

Social media is turning into a cesspool of outrage-porn and hate. When politics are involved, people get outraged over the wrong things and stay silent about the things we should get angry about. (Mr. Potato Head and Dr. Seuss are not things to get outraged over, for example.)

The worst is when it feels like people expect you to post every detail about your life. And it gets people into arguments.

When I took Facebook and Twitter off my phone, it felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders. I could talk to people again and have an honest conversation instead of a profanity-filled argument for the world to see. Without the shield of social media, you’d be surprised at the conversations you can have with people. Even if you come out of the conversation still disagreeing with someone, you’ll have more respect for them face to face than you would over the internet.

Looking back, I don’t know why I kept turning to social media

Facebook is nothing like what it was when I went to college. It used to be a place where you could see what your friends and family were doing. It used to be a place for funny memes and cool pictures. It used to be fun.

Now it feels like social media’s only purpose is to spread hate and division. The longer it’s around, the less empathy we see. More than ever, we need compassion in this world, and we’re not going to get it airing our dirty laundry online.

Yet, here I am, drawn to it. I know it’s not going to end well getting sucked in the cesspool. I know I’m wasting time scrolling and not writing, but I did it anyway. I sometimes asked myself if I liked being miserable because of my scrolling.

It’s been over three months, and I feel better

Sometimes, I’ll check my Facebook and Twitter on my computer, but I don’t stay on for more than half an hour. The only reason I have it anymore is that I use both sites to promote my writing. Otherwise, I’d get off social media permanently.

In three months, I went from overposting on social media to only posting on Instagram if I feel like posting anything at all. I’ll still put my stories in their proper groups, but that’s it.

I’m proud of myself for how far I’ve come in three months. I might never fully get rid of social media, but I have successfully gained back the time I wasted from it. Now, I can focus on more important things.