Hello, my name is Anne. I'm 26 years old and I've been using Instagram since I was 18. I'm not a digital native so I know what it's like to live without social media. For some time I have been considering the idea of leaving social networks, specifically Instagram. And here I write a few reasons which led me to press the button - deactivate account -.
***As I haven't used Instagram for a few weeks now, I'm rewriting this post to make it as complete as possible, help and encourage you to join the challenge.
I miss sitting down to watch a sunset without having to capture it instantly with the sole intention of uploading it to Instagram. I miss getting bored and looking for a creative way to fix it. I know what it's like to live without networks and that's why I wanted to rest from them.
Table of Contents
I have decided to leave Instagram for a while, since it is the one that distracts me the most. At first my goal was a few weeks but seeing how good I feel I have decided to extend it.
This post is not against social networks, since nobody forces us to use them. After deactivating my Instagram (both personal and blog) I feel more productive, more present, less distracted and consequently happier with my routines and the way I use my time.
I guess I can't compete with An application that is made by the best professionals in psychological behavior and marketing, hence it is us so difficult to contain the temptation to scroll continuously. They win and I want to get off the donkey.
I get off from the world of likes and social validation through a screen, comments and followers. I get off Instagram and its vicious circle.
My main reason for leaving Instagram is the tiredness of see the same movie over and over again: perfect lives, perfect trips, perfect couples and the perfect annoying feed, and I say that I am tired because that does not exist. Life is not perfect but we (who use it) strive to make it that way.
I feel that Instagram (above all) is idealizing the way we relate to the world, it is reducing humanity to everyday things, what should be imperfect is turning it (or so some try) into something superficial, soulless.
I have to admit that I have never particularly liked this social network very much and, do you know why? Because it seems that it is cread to generate personal dissatisfaction, I see it as a great showcase where we expose our “perfect” lives as if it were a candy store.
I don't want that for me. As I also don't want my head to start perfecting what shouldn't be perfect for a moment.
The question is that I can continue using Instagram and learn to manage it but I have not been able and it is not enough, I have tried to turn it around and enjoy the time on this platform but I see her superficial and therefore I will continue a few more weeks without them until I decide if I want to return.
Eye that there are so many good/inspiring/things i see on instagramHowever, right now it is much more worth not having it and for me this balance is more than enough to do without this platform, at least with regard to this blog and my personal profile.
Most likely, I will use Instagram again but first I want to consider how I can make a more responsible use of it. Back... but this time different.
Small advantages of living without Instagram
It has been a very enriching experience to put aside the mobile phone in general. However, when it comes to Instagram you are the advantages of leaving the networks, and how I am discovering alternatives, forms of use and awareness to do it better.
More free time
Leaving social networks gives you advantages that go beyond the simple release of time. In my case, I began to experience a increase in productivity and concentration. Without the constant distractions of notifications, I found myself how productive the days can be if I focus and I don't have my mobile at hand.
More space for what I really like
Many times I spent hours looking at Instagram without a specific objective, I didn't even like what I saw and I felt demotivated when leaving the infinite feed.
this is fair the opposite of what happens to me with Pinterest, where I find ideas and motivate me to get down to work either with a craft or a recipe. That's the difference and the importance of selecting those social networks that do us good, encourage us to do what we like and allow us to learn along the way.
Peace of mind
Walking away from Instagram for a while, I noticed a reduction in the happy comparisons with other people and I began to focus on what I really want to achieve.
The constant social comparison and the anxiety that social networks can generate is a very serious problem that we have today.
Stopping using the networks for a while allowed me Free myself from the need to seek external validation by focusing on my own achievements and values. now i feel more prepared to use the networks in a healthier way.
No need to capture certain moments just to upload them to Instagram
Maybe we are thinking too much capturing moments to upload to Instagram instead of actually living them. This is a problem.
Social networks should not be an end but a consequence of having experienced a beautiful moment.
That: If you don't upload it, you haven't lived it... It's ridiculous.
Life is to be lived and not to be glued to a screen in our free time.
cherish the little moments
Although I am one of those who take photos of sunsets by system, as a memory.
I love the moment when I don't need to share anything with anyone. I just sit and try to enjoy the simpler moments; a coffee with friends, a dinner with my partner, a family trip, a sunset full of colors...
Life can be wonderful if we appreciate the most everyday details.
Being so comfortable without networks that you don't want to return….
Turns out you don't miss him as much as you thought… It was more thought than reality. Right now I think Yes, I am ready to return to Instagram and use it in a more selective and measured way.
Let's hope the vicious circle doesn't start again. Wish me luck 😉
NOTE: This is not a post against Instagram or social networks, it is a post about what I feel and think about them. I use them, and I have many, but I think it's a good time to weigh what each of them brings me so that I can select and use them responsibly.
Other Post on Social Networks
𝙶𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚜 𝚙𝚘𝚛 𝚕𝚎𝚎𝚛 ♡ 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞
