A couple of months ago, in August to be exact, I decided to take an indefinite leave from social media. I managed to do it for almost two months, coming back to Twitter on October 15, and a bit earlier on Instagram, towards the end of September. This is an entry to just close this mini-experiment up and share with you what I’ve learned throughout this social media “detox”.

The realizations

1. Social Media really takes up a lot of your time. You won’t notice it but the minutes you spend checking your accounts add up. When I was on hiatus, I really felt like I had so much time that I didn’t know what to do with it.
2. Social Media kills productivity. I took advantage of all of my extra time in religiously blogging daily. To be honest, my daily blog has been put on hold for a while now, ever since I went back. It’s just a lot easier to post a photo on IG or tweet your thoughts in real time. I was also able to catch up on some anime series, read a book, watch a few movies on Netflix – things I have started to consider as a “waste” of time. I was also more productive at work because I had no reason to keep checking my phone every now and then, so there was less distraction.
3. Social Media does not equal relationships. People have the misconception of social media as a bridge between people who want to stay in touch with each other. But I found out during my hiatus that I was a lot closer to my friends from college because I was chatting with them daily, sending them photos of things I wanted to share to them, and getting real responses (not just likes). When hanging out with friends, I was more present, and they were also spending less time on their phones because they knew I had nothing to check on my phone and were conscious about not making me feel “excluded” by just being on their phones.

The outcome

I’ve permanently quit Facebook because there’s really just no value in that platform for me anymore. I feel like there’s nothing there but stress, conflicting and toxic opinions people shove at you on their timeline – I’d rather have none of that. Not that I don’t respect their opinion, but I don’t need that in my life and I’m much better without it.  I’ve kept Messenger for messaging purposes, obviously – and my family’s all there so that’s convenient.

I’ve returned to Instagram because to me, it’s a venue for creativity. I have always loved photography and that’s the easiest way to keep practicing every day. I still have two accounts and am torn about which one to keep – so I’ll just keep them both for now.

Twitter is not as toxic as Facebook, just because it’s not too mainstream in the Philippines. I don’t have a lot of personal friends there, and I get all of my Kpop and Japan updates from there so I’m keeping it for now.

Despite coming back to Instagram and Twitter, because of the experiment, I am now more conscious about the time I spend on them. In the evening, when I can’t sleep and I find myself endlessly scrolling through Instagram or Twitter, it’s now easier for me to put my phone away and not worry about missing out on an update.

The conclusion

Social media has its merits. What this experiment really taught me and what I will carry with me as I continue on this minimalist path I’ve chosen is that I should not be a slave to it. That it’s a thing I use, but I can do without. That I don’t rely on it for temporary highs or as fuel for my self-esteem. That life is much bigger than what social media portrays it to be. It’s taught me to live in the present and see the world for what it is – with my own eyes.