I Took a Week Off From Social Media and This is What Happened

Could you go five days without social media?

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if nobody had social media? Well, researchers have done studies showing that people without social media have less anxiety, healthier relationship with other’s and themselves, they’re happier, more focused, have more energy, and better self esteem.

Many can’t fathom life without it and for some their income depends on it. It’s an interesting thought to ponder on to say the least. I feel as though many would say they could live without it, but honestly I think most just want to believe they can.

As social media grew and people began to question the side effects, Facebook publicly recognized some of its platform’s detrimental effects but suggested the cure is to engage with the platform more: more messages, more comments and more posts.

So basically we are told this isn’t good for us, but to use it more so it can be good for us? Odd response Facebook had and the Ex Facebook Executive Chamath Palihapitiya and Sean Parker wasn’t having any of it.

In this interview with Sean Parker and Chamath Palihapitiya, they go on to explain that when this all started they didn’t have a concept of what social media would do to people but now they do. “It changes the way people have relationship with society, with each other, and it decreases our productivity. God only know what it is doing to our children’s brain” — Sean Parker says. He then admits in the creation of Facebook their goal was to figure out how they could consume as much of peoples time and attention as possible.

To listen to them speak and realize how they were exploiting the vulnerability in people with this creation, it’s alarming, eye opening, and made me seriously question how active I am on social media. I won’t spoil anymore of this interview with you so that you can watch it for yourself, but I found it alarming and interesting enough to experiment myself on what would happen if I put social media away for a week.

Day 1

I didn’t stop with just erasing Facebook, I also deleted instagram and Snapchat as well. I deactivated my accounts and removed the apps from my phone completely. At first out of habit I would pick up my phone and would flip through looking for the apps to click on. I would then have the “Ah” moment of, I don’t have social media anymore. I did this multiple times in the first day and it was honestly kind of annoying. I realized I had become addicted to this very action. I would find myself just flipping through my phone trying to find something to do on it, but nothing.

Day 2

No notifications to wake up to, no daily trending topics to read about, no funny memes to share, no conversations to engage in. Nothing…. Majority of my time first spent this morning was me still picking up my phone, but this time I was fully aware beforehand that I wouldn’t have any outlet to login to. Unlike like yesterday where I seemed to forget searching for the apps. I still had the addiction to the action of picking up my phone and after realizing I wasn’t going to spend my morning scrolling through social media to occupy the start of my day, I became forced to find something to do.

I got dressed and ready faster than usual and went to the park with my dog. I noticed everyone around me on there phones, taking pictures of each other, and people being together but not really in the moment. I was more aware of my surroundings and actually enjoyed walking the dog more than usual. Going to the park to let him get his energy out use to feel like a chore, but I found that when you’re in the moment and not thinking about everything going online, you’re able to enjoy things a lot better.

After the park I went home, did some cleaning, and was a lot more productive in my day. Usually I would stop a few times to scroll or answer a ping from social media but without the interruption I was able to complete tasks fully around the house.

Day 3

This morning I had the slight thought about social media but it was a quick one. I didn’t pick up my phone immediately craving the dopamine hit I use to get from it. I made myself breakfast, enjoyed the weather from my porch, and headed off the the park again to walk my dog. I was able to complete work tasks easier without the mind distraction of social media and became happier.

I was more present in conversations I had with people, I actually enjoyed human face to face connection, and valued people a lot more than I use to. Today I started to think about all the time I was in my phone around people and all the opportunities I missed out on to just be happy with the person in front of me. I even began to think about the times my son was a baby and how I would spent my time on social media because he wouldn’t do anything but sleep. Boy, what I would do to just go back and put my phone down and watch him sleep being present in the moment more.

Day 4

This morning my anxiety and depression ceased to exist. I also noticed I was getting better sleep through the night. I enjoyed my morning a lot more than usual, got out of bed faster than normal, and was a lot happier. I am not yet clear on why I felt this way but I just did. Through the day I would forget I even had a phone. I didn’t reach for it or wonder what was going on with it at all. The addiction of social media was gone completely.

I was more productive, completed a lot more in my day than usual, and noticed I was a more engaging mother with my child. We laughed, played, and I was getting the happiness hits from him instead of my phone. I felt no need to have any validation from others anymore. My self esteem improved and I felt way more confident as a person. My mindset was so positive and I felt like I could accomplish any goal I set out before me. I felt…. Alive.

Day 5

This morning I felt…. liberated. Today is the last day of the week and not going to lie. Knowing my experiment was about to end made me a bit sadish. So what now is what I thought? Do I stay offline forever or do I log back in? I remembered how I felt the first two days and how addicted I became and realized I didn’t want that for myself. I used some of my free time today to set out goals and promises to myself on how much time I would spend on social media. I told myself if I found myself spending to much time on social media, I would take another week off immediately.

Most people won’t admit how much social media means, or has meant, to them. For me, social media has been my life since MySpace. I have never taken a detox before and this was definitely an eye opener to say the least. I could tell you all about my day today but I would just be repeating day 4 conclusion . Once you get past the first few days, its smooth sailing from then on.

End Result

After I took a week off from social media and then reactivated everything, I went back to my old ways. I kept my promise and detoxed again, but this time I went a full 2 weeks without it. I then ventured back online and since I maybe scroll for a few seconds and then get off. My time and interest in being online like I use to had decreased tremendously. Even today writing this, I spent maybe in total 10 minutes on social media platforms combined.

I have found that I enjoy putting my energy into stuff that benefits my future, I enjoy being present, happier, and having less pressure of the social media world. The anxiety and depression I suffered at the hands of social media is something I will never miss and by taking my second detox I made sure to keep striving to take back control. I do plan to continue detoxing for no apparent reason every few months to keep this healthy balance. I would highly recommend others giving it a try and see what this does for you.