Hope in Ink: Open Letters To Uplift And Inspire

#A Detox Drive...

Distracted, anxious, not good enough. That’s how I can describe how I was feeling.

Dear friends cum Students of Young Age or College Goers,

I was distracted by never-ending content ready to consume, always looking for things I can share on Stories, and feeling defeated when it turned out that I have done nothing Instagram-worthy during the day.

My brain would spin all day long figuring out what else I can post, trying to remember if I have more photos in my archives worth sharing, editing them for hours, and then posting at a time that Instagram told me is the best one for getting the most amount of likes. I’ve been feeling drained and overwhelmed trying to catch someone else’s attention and grow my following – metrics that mean literally nothing, and surely don’t determine your worth.

One day I’ve had enough. My screen time averaged at 1.5-2h per day with 30 – 45 minutes spent on social media, so I can’t say that I was on my phone the entire day, although sometimes it felt like this. I felt like I’m not present in the real life and instead of spending quality time with my family; I was constantly checking what other people are doing.

People I don’t even know.

I became so envy of their lives that I didn’t pursue my plans or goals, because I didn’t believe in them anymore. I kept comparing myself and my goals to those who’ve been in business for years.

This needed to stop. I started watching YouTube videos of people who ditched social media for a month and even though I was very tempted to follow their steps and do 30 days social media cleanse straight away; I didn’t feel anywhere near ready for it. Instead, I decided to do a 7 day social media detox, treat it as a “trial”, and at the end of the week decide how I feel and whether I want to extend it to a month or not.

Social media owns us, and I mean that literally. Many people don’t know that those services are free for a reason. We live in an attention economy, and our attention is being sold to companies. Everything we do online leaves digital footprint which is meticulously analysed to present us with the virtual world tailored to us in such way that would keep us on social media for longer.

That’s why Instagram feed isn’t in chronological order, and you might not even remember half of the groups you’ve joined on Facebook. Our feeds show information chosen for us by algorithms, based on our activity on social media.

Facebook and other social media companies mastered the art of manipulating people’s emotions and the way we think. They did that to addict us from their platforms even further and to make it almost impossible to switch to a different social media network.

Actually, the platform just reported that their active users went down at the end of 2021 for the very first time in its 18-year history! So many years of rapid gain of new active users only shows how reliant people became on Facebook.

Internet giants like Facebook and Google pretend to be our best friends, while all they do is wait for us to share every bit of personal information with them. We give them permission to track our every move, share very private life events with them, so they can get to know us better than any person you know in real life. Nothing’s wrong with that. Everyone loves getting personalized recommendations. Is it really okay, though?

Have you ever added a laughing emoji under a silly titled article? Have you ever clicked on it? While we may think that by doing that, we’re showing them that their content is silly, we actually laugh at ourselves, not at them. We only see things we agree with and engage with. Reality tunnel we’re in gets narrowed down with our every move online.
As a result, we end up seeing our version of the world, specifically crafted for us, instead of perceiving the complexity of the world. If we go down the rabbit hole filled with dumb content, we will just get dumber because of the content that will surround us. Escaping it is very difficult, if not impossible.

BENEFITS OF SOCIAL MEDIA DETOX
GET HOLD OF YOUR FREE TIME
People admit that spend hours on social media during that day. It’s common for students to spend as much as 4 hours a day on there! That gives over 28 hours weekly of mindlessly scrolling through social media. Imagine how many things you could get done during that time.

LEAVE ANXIETY BEHIND
It’s been proven that social media is often the root of our problems with anxiety and depression. Giving your brain a break could be vital in getting better and feeling less anxious overall.

HAVE SLOW, STRESS-FREE MORNINGS
Mornings set a tone for the day, so stressful mornings lead to feeling stressed out throughout the entire day.

For years, I used to check my phone straight after waking up. Every time I found a notification message reminding me I have to do something, or checked social media, I was getting nervous. I immediately started comparing myself to others and felt like I was already behind because I didn’t wake up at dawn. Don’t forget about all those horrific news and negative comments we’re getting bombarded on there.

That’s why so many people recommend leaving your phone in the other room and using a simple alarm clock instead. It removes the temptation of checking your phone immediately after you wake up, which help you have a better morning...

P.S This post isn't written by me, I just found it on internet and posted it for your benefit in the near future. Feel free to share me your experiences and share your area of concern with me in comment section below. I would surely help you out of this situation.

Lots and Lots of Love,
Lavanya