Yeah. I deleted Instagram from my phone and blocked it on every single browser and also deleted all messengers from my phone trying to spend less time on my phone.
Every time people ask me why, I say, I’m an addict. An alcoholic can’t go to bars.
People then immediately proceed to tell me how they’re also addicted and also want to spend less time online and explain to me why they couldn’t do what I’m doing.
But I’m not saying they should do it… I’m saying, I’m doing it. You all can do whatever you want, I don’t care :D like, not everyone who drinks casually is an alcoholic.
This is the thing, it’s such an individual feeling! If you know it’s a problem for you, aaaabsolutely do it, and if not, great. Amazing that you’re setting yourself strict boundaries though, love this for you!
I love this so much. because that's been my take on it: I feel like quitting completely is not only unecessary by isolating, on itself. my goal has been to understand my limits and set boundaries so I can breath away from all the noise, you know?
See, I've never really liked the way people frame social media as something that's inherently toxic, I believe social media is just a mere tool and I think what truly is "toxic" are specific subsets of people who use it and not the mere existence of it. At the same time, I've also found it to be very hypocritical whenever creators would talk about "quitting social media" just for them to show it off on social media, like, yes there's people out there who need to get off social media and take a break from it, but like what you said—that I wholeheartedly agree with—we've romanticized the idea of quitting social media too much and we don't owe anyone a social media detox if we don't need one, because honestly quitting social media just for you to post all about it has become a new social media trend and not all of us has to follow that
My social media detox and refresh story is almost identical to yours. It gave me the space necessary to shift my perspective. I now approach social media with the intent to engage and share specifically the content that inspires me, instead of allowing the negative emotions to run rampant.
Yes!! Love this for us. And if it ever gets a bit much I'll quite literally just take another break and that'll be fine. I'm trying to set myself specific 15 minute windows where I'm like "okay have a scroll now" rather than just doing it out of habit while I'm waiting for something to cook or while TV is on in the background etc. Thanks so much for reading and sharing!!
So interesting!! I’ve recently deleted Instagram for personal reasons, BUT I find myself saying to people that it’s not forever, it’s just for now - just until I’m ready to activate those guardrails and use it less. You also make SUCH a valid point about Substack and the ‘this and never scrolling instagram again’ (but inadvertently craving engagement through posts like that instead)… it’s a messy balance isn’t it 😅
yessss!! That point literally came because I caught myself feeling SO pure and sanctimonious for deleting instagram and then I was like... you have just scrolled Substack for a good 20 minutes who are you kidding???
Oh my god, I lost so many friends because they forgot I didn't have instagram. All by complete accident, but I was amazed at how reliant I was on that app to keep my friendships together and that's the one thing I miss about it. I don't have the strength of mind for a personal instagram, so do all my lurking via my work's instagram, and the algorithm is now programmed to show me book reviews, great British bake off contestants, and for some weird reason, students holding up their dissertations??? Wouldn't have it any other way, it's like I can use it purely for pleasure without worrying about what anyone else is doing
Omg I love this! I would definitely definitely choose to lurk via another account if this was an option. I might try to train my own algorithm for more bake off content hahaha. And YES, honestly, I didn't even realise that some of my friendships were conducted entirely over Instagram messenger until I deleted it and realised I just fully hadn't spoken to those people for months. It made me feel really bad!
I've always thought social media is what you make of it. If you don't like something, it's as simple as unfollowing to not see it again. Of course will power is involved to not look those things up in the first place, but it's very possible to curate a pleasant algorithm. Mine is mostly cute dog videos and pretty travel destinations!
I’ve never went as far as deleting an app. I just one day replaced it with another app that felt more joyful to use. Suddenly it had gone 6 months since I ever posted anything while checking in about once a week or less. When I did check-in I would usually spot an account to unfollow. Eventually, after removing half of my stagnant follower count and unfollow/muting accounts that triggered me emotionally, Instagram became a less upsetting space for me.
Taking small breaks from time to time helps one prioritize what actually matters and what kind of content you want to consume.
Love love love love LOVE this Ellen!!! You've hit the nail on the head with small businesses - I only have Instagram on my phone to check if/when somewhere is open 🤣
I think social media usage is such a personal thing, but I think the most important part is to be aware of your own usage and whether you're comfortable with the level it's at. I feel SO groggy if I've fallen into a YouTube Short doomscroll, and I don't think I'll ever return to TikTok because it messes with me so much.
like many, i have a fraught relationship with social media and i’ve been working on it for many years! am always tweaking it as it changes and i do, but i know that quitting it completely isn’t the move for me. extreme takes are easy to sell, and they can certainly work for some, but nuance is generally good 🤍
Yeah. I deleted Instagram from my phone and blocked it on every single browser and also deleted all messengers from my phone trying to spend less time on my phone.
Every time people ask me why, I say, I’m an addict. An alcoholic can’t go to bars.
People then immediately proceed to tell me how they’re also addicted and also want to spend less time online and explain to me why they couldn’t do what I’m doing.
But I’m not saying they should do it… I’m saying, I’m doing it. You all can do whatever you want, I don’t care :D like, not everyone who drinks casually is an alcoholic.
This is the thing, it’s such an individual feeling! If you know it’s a problem for you, aaaabsolutely do it, and if not, great. Amazing that you’re setting yourself strict boundaries though, love this for you!
I love this so much. because that's been my take on it: I feel like quitting completely is not only unecessary by isolating, on itself. my goal has been to understand my limits and set boundaries so I can breath away from all the noise, you know?
Yesss!! Love love love this for you
Love this - I feel like everyone talking about social media has such a black and white view of it, it’s nice to look at the grey space a little more!
Alllll about the grey!! Thanks so much for reading 💕
100% there's no such thing as black and white, life is comprised of many shades of grey
See, I've never really liked the way people frame social media as something that's inherently toxic, I believe social media is just a mere tool and I think what truly is "toxic" are specific subsets of people who use it and not the mere existence of it. At the same time, I've also found it to be very hypocritical whenever creators would talk about "quitting social media" just for them to show it off on social media, like, yes there's people out there who need to get off social media and take a break from it, but like what you said—that I wholeheartedly agree with—we've romanticized the idea of quitting social media too much and we don't owe anyone a social media detox if we don't need one, because honestly quitting social media just for you to post all about it has become a new social media trend and not all of us has to follow that
Yessss!! Love this. Thank you for reading
My social media detox and refresh story is almost identical to yours. It gave me the space necessary to shift my perspective. I now approach social media with the intent to engage and share specifically the content that inspires me, instead of allowing the negative emotions to run rampant.
Yes!! Love this for us. And if it ever gets a bit much I'll quite literally just take another break and that'll be fine. I'm trying to set myself specific 15 minute windows where I'm like "okay have a scroll now" rather than just doing it out of habit while I'm waiting for something to cook or while TV is on in the background etc. Thanks so much for reading and sharing!!
So interesting!! I’ve recently deleted Instagram for personal reasons, BUT I find myself saying to people that it’s not forever, it’s just for now - just until I’m ready to activate those guardrails and use it less. You also make SUCH a valid point about Substack and the ‘this and never scrolling instagram again’ (but inadvertently craving engagement through posts like that instead)… it’s a messy balance isn’t it 😅
yessss!! That point literally came because I caught myself feeling SO pure and sanctimonious for deleting instagram and then I was like... you have just scrolled Substack for a good 20 minutes who are you kidding???
Oh my god, I lost so many friends because they forgot I didn't have instagram. All by complete accident, but I was amazed at how reliant I was on that app to keep my friendships together and that's the one thing I miss about it. I don't have the strength of mind for a personal instagram, so do all my lurking via my work's instagram, and the algorithm is now programmed to show me book reviews, great British bake off contestants, and for some weird reason, students holding up their dissertations??? Wouldn't have it any other way, it's like I can use it purely for pleasure without worrying about what anyone else is doing
Omg I love this! I would definitely definitely choose to lurk via another account if this was an option. I might try to train my own algorithm for more bake off content hahaha. And YES, honestly, I didn't even realise that some of my friendships were conducted entirely over Instagram messenger until I deleted it and realised I just fully hadn't spoken to those people for months. It made me feel really bad!
I've always thought social media is what you make of it. If you don't like something, it's as simple as unfollowing to not see it again. Of course will power is involved to not look those things up in the first place, but it's very possible to curate a pleasant algorithm. Mine is mostly cute dog videos and pretty travel destinations!
Yessss! Love this. And your algorithm sounds great. Right now mine is mainly labradors and book reviews, which I'm definitely not too furious about.
I’ve never went as far as deleting an app. I just one day replaced it with another app that felt more joyful to use. Suddenly it had gone 6 months since I ever posted anything while checking in about once a week or less. When I did check-in I would usually spot an account to unfollow. Eventually, after removing half of my stagnant follower count and unfollow/muting accounts that triggered me emotionally, Instagram became a less upsetting space for me.
Taking small breaks from time to time helps one prioritize what actually matters and what kind of content you want to consume.
This is amazing! I’ve found I’m checking it sooo much less since my break, but then I’m also like.. have I just replaced this with Substack
Agreed! This is how I feel when I see all the posts about quitting social media.
🙌🏻🙌🏻 it’s so personal! Do what feels right. Thanks for reading x
Love love love love LOVE this Ellen!!! You've hit the nail on the head with small businesses - I only have Instagram on my phone to check if/when somewhere is open 🤣
I think social media usage is such a personal thing, but I think the most important part is to be aware of your own usage and whether you're comfortable with the level it's at. I feel SO groggy if I've fallen into a YouTube Short doomscroll, and I don't think I'll ever return to TikTok because it messes with me so much.
like many, i have a fraught relationship with social media and i’ve been working on it for many years! am always tweaking it as it changes and i do, but i know that quitting it completely isn’t the move for me. extreme takes are easy to sell, and they can certainly work for some, but nuance is generally good 🤍