Imagine living in a world without any social media. No YouTube, Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat. From today’s perspective, it seems impossible. We’re now so used to it that it is as ordinary as furniture. But it wasn’t always this way. Even ten years ago, social media was still finding its feet.
Many people are now wondering whether they should deactivate Instagram, Twitter and all the rest of them and just go back to living normal, human lives. However, many people have literally no idea how it will work out. After all, it won’t be like going back to the 1990s. That’s because everything else is still using these platforms.
So what are the effects of ditching social media you should know about? Check them out below.
You’ll Do Way More Work
Many people are now wondering whether they should deactivate Instagram, Twitter and all the rest of them and just go back to living normal, human lives. However, many people have literally no idea how it will work out. After all, it won’t be like going back to the 1990s. That’s because everything else is still using these platforms.
So what are the effects of ditching social media you should know about? Check them out below.
You’ll Do Way More Work
The average person spends around two hours a day interacting with social media in some capacity. It’s not just actively posting on sites. It’s also the amount of distractions and interruptions the constant buzzing notifications make. If you’re trying to work, it’s a nightmare.
When you think about it, having social media on standby all the time is a sort of multi-tasking. Yes - your main focus is on your work, but you also feel the pull of social media channels all the time, enticing you with likes, shares and comments. And, as we now know from multiple studies, multitasking isn’t all it's cracked up to be. In fact, people who attempt to multitask usually perform poorly compared to those who simply dedicate themselves to a single task at a time.
You’ll Feel Anxious, But It Will Pass
Sometimes social media withdrawal can actually make you feel anxious. That’s weird, right? But it makes sense. Many of us feel like we need to continually connect with people in our social circles on our phones all the time to feel complete. Withdrawing from social media could feel a bit like leaving a tribe - a group of people we depend on for protection.
However, even while it seems bad at the time, the anxious feeling will eventually pass. In fact, you should start feeling less anxious overall because you’re less concerned about what other people are doing and saying on the platforms. Quitting social media can produce some profoundly positive effects.
You’ll Feel Less Stressed
You don’t always realize the stress of using social media regularly until you take a break from it. Paying attention to what people are saying and doing online 24 hours per day can be a little disastrous for your wellbeing. You constantly worry about what people think about your posts. And you compare yourself to other users who appear to have it all.
But once you let go of that environment, you can often feel a wave of relaxation washing over your body. Your cortisol levels start to drop and you can actually become more focused on other areas of your life. You’re not so worried about what other people are saying on social media anymore. To start with if you still feel as though you want to use your phone or computer as a habit, try having a quick pool game or game of solitaire instead. It’ll take your mind of social media but give you the same feeling of being on your phone.
You Discover More About Yourself
Once you separate yourself off from the social media “tribe,” you actually have time to learn more about yourself. Instead of just going along with the latest trends and ideas, you have a real opportunity to explore who you are and what you find valuable.
In many cases, it can be tempting to just accept people’s superficial feedback about you and just run with it. But it rarely provides deep and meaningful insights that you can really use to learn more about yourself.
You Save Money
Getting off social media can also help you to save money. You no longer feel like you’re having to keep up with the Joneses all the time, spending vast sums of money on vacations and home upgrades. Instead, you can simply live your life privately and peacefully, only buying the stuff that you actually need to make you happy.
Your Emotional Intelligence Will Improve
Many social media platforms are full of hurting and damaged people, looking for an outlet. In many cases, it is all too easy to get caught up in their attitudes, living them in your own life.
Social media, therefore, may adversely affect your emotional intelligence. It may make you less able to conduct face-to-face interactions with others. And you may become incapable of switching off these platforms and paying attention to those around you.
In conclusion, social media isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, the way that we use it can be detrimental to our health and our relationships. And that’s why so many people are now looking for alternatives.
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