One month without social media: Will I be back?

For those who don’t already know, I made a public commitment to deactivate all of my social media accounts for a minimum of three months. You can read more about my rationale here. Some of you reached out asking me to keep you updated on the experience.
It has now been one month since I:

• Deactivated Instagram and Facebook
• Deleted Facebook Messenger (see reason 3 below).
• Installed Block the Youtube Feed on Chrome

This covered 99% of prior social media use. Instagram was undoubtedly the worst offender, despite the fact that I spent less time per day than the average user on the app. My habit seemed to have a mind of its own; one moment I’d be opening my phone to reply to a text, the next I’d be scrolling a discovery feed full of fitness models and doggos. Most annoyingly, I seemed incapable of controlling myself after publishing a post. I’d continuously break promises to myself about checking it for the last time to see who liked it. None of this is particularly surprising; it’s what the app was designed for.

Besides a somewhat pleasant tendency to watch monkeys reacting to magic tricks on Youtube, my other social media use wasn’t too bad. I had earlier eliminated Facebook scrolling entirely with News Feed Eradicator (highly recommended), and I never really used Snapchat, Twitter, Tiktok, etc.
In talking with other people about my plan, many of them said that although they thought it would be good to join me, they felt they just couldn’t. They were afraid of feeling disconnected, FOMO, loneliness, boredom, etc. That also made me wonder if I would feel those things. Here’s the report:

Well, right now, I feel great. Here are four main reasons why.

1. I noticed instant gains in productivity, partly from having more actual time (an extra ~30-90 minutes per day), but mostly from having less distractions hindering my mental momentum. A longer attention span on a task has been leading to deeper and more efficient work, and more enjoyable leisure.
2. It’s become easier to be intentional during moments of transition. When I end a task, I have a moment to reflect. There really aren’t any short dopamine hits on offer, so I consciously consider what I want to do next. Those choices have tended to lead to more rewarding projects or true relaxation.
3. I’ve enjoyed being slightly harder to get ahold of. Although anyone who really wants to get into contact with me can easily find me, I’m not instantly accessible to 1000+ people through messenger. Although I felt grateful when people reached out, keeping up with those online chats was leaving less time for communication with those closest to me. Now people can reach me by text or email if they want to.
4. I’m sourcing more robust validation. As much as I would have hated to admit it, I used to derive self-esteem from approval and attention through my social media posts. I began to realize how fragile it was to invest in how people I barely knew responded to tiny photos of me on a smartphone. I’m working on internalizing my sense of validation through projects that require more patience, and hopefully more reward.

I think it’s possible many people could feel similarly great given some or all of these reasons. That being said, It’s important to put my personal benefits into context. I could still be riding a high of a lifestyle change which might yet wear off. I also have less to gain from the “social” in social media than I had in the past. I live in a house full of friends, I have a romantic partner, and my community is kind enough to invite me to events over text. There have been times when my social cup was less full, and stepping away from social media might have felt more isolating.

I’m also not reliant on these platforms for my income. I’m conflicted on this, though. It’s obvious to me that social media is a force multiplier for those looking to monetize their craft or gain public awareness. For now I’m biting the bullet, knowing that I’m much less likely to gain a following and be offered opportunities like collaborations, podcasts, etc., when I’m not in that space. I’ll be keeping my eye on that cost-benefit ratio.

If I continue to feel similarly, I see no reason why I wouldn’t continue on this way. But, there’s still another two months to go. Stay tuned.