dwelling in my actual life
I'm quitting social media (for good?)
Hey, chickadee. Welcome to Dunham Dwells. Here we explore the awkward mid-twenties, books, art, and connection. I’m glad you’re here.
I’m quitting social media. (For at least a year.)
Have I not deleted the-app-that-shall-not-be-named* several times before? Have I not previously purged my follows and tried to limit my screen time? Is social media so foul that I need to drop it for a whole year?
I have deleted the app several times before. I have purged my follows and tried to limit my screen time. There are varying opinions on whether social media is “bad” for us, but I know that the effects, for me, tend towards the negative end of the spectrum. It sucks – it sucks time, energy, creativity, and focus. I look up after 20-30 minutes of scrolling, feeling disoriented and wondering what I’ve gained.
What’s going to make it stick this time around? A comparison I heard three days ago from Tiffany Han. She called out her own social media use as a form of addiction and compared it to her previous struggle with alcohol abuse. Does that sound like overkill to you? She spelled out the definition of an addiction: “A compulsion with negative effects that you can’t quit despite those negative effects.”
In the same way that some people don’t have a problem moderating their alcohol use, some people don’t have a problem moderating their social media use. But some people are alcoholics, and the “just one drink” option doesn’t work for them. I’ve tried the “just one drink” route of social media – and it doesn’t work for me. Am I a social media addict? It might not look like it to you. But I know it’s time for me to call it quits and see what happens.
What about the friendships and connections that I’ll miss? The phrase “baby with the bathwater” comes to mind, but I can support and nourish my existing friendships in much healthier and rewarding ways than trying to keep up through a medium of distractions.
* * *
I deleted the app-that-shall-not-be-named three days ago. I gracelessly nixed it while I was listening to Tiffany’s podcast on the way to work.
I am going to take care of a couple housekeeping items this weekend, but I intend to take less than ten minutes to handle them, and then I’ll carry on with the at least year-long experiment. On the time frame: it’s arbitrary. Tiffany is also doing a year, and it sounds good to me. A month or a season is too short. Making it through all the seasons without will be a good measure of the effect quitting really has, and might be just enough to convince me to call it quits for good.
Tiffany said she was thinking of having a book made of her favorite posts so that she could still have them. I love that idea, especially for my private account where I have been keeping a photo journal. I’m going to wait and do it during a time when I can dedicate a day or two to keep the process contained – maybe this spring.
I am also going to start printing photos and including them in the physical journals I already keep. I love this idea so much and can’t wait to share how it goes.
I’m planning to regularly journal about not being on social media – noting whether I’m missing anything in particular, if my mental/emotional state seems to be changing as a result, what I’m doing with my recovered time and energy.
* * *
In other news, yurt life continues to go well. We just put in a window and the added daylight has done miracles for my mood. Our yurt keeps the heat in but doesn’t seem to keep mice out. We are well armed and have caught a dozen so far without any getting into the pantry. We had a feral cat visit us a couple times and are hopeful he’ll become our neighborhood mouser. Any tips on how to do dishes in wash buckets with less water and cleaner dishes are more than welcome.
As always – hit reply and let me know what you’re thinking about.
Love,
Amy
* Instagram. It's Instagram.