Leaving Social Media
In April 2021 I quit social media and haven’t looked back.
In April 2021 I decided to remove myself and business from Facebook and Instagram. By May I was mostly gone, just have a few more things I was finding new homes for via Facebook Marketplace.
It was sometime in 2019 that I decided to remove all friends except immediate family from Facebook. I was very tired of Facebook and only really kept my profile going so I could manage my business page and be part of useful business groups.
Since then I have pretty regularly reconsidered my social media use.
This blog takes you through some of the reasons I have made this decision and some ideas of how you might like to rethink your social media use. Following:
The changes I have made
My thoughts on these changes
Resources/People which have influenced my decision
Rethinking your social media use?
Some final thoughts.
The Changes I have Made
Deleted all friends
Left all groups
Closed down the groups I run
Downloaded my Facebook data
Deleted my business page
I am keeping Messenger
I am keeping my account active for a short time longer to sell a few things on Marketplace as we have just done a big clear out!
I’ll deactivate Facebook in June so I can still use Messenger but not have an active profile.
Unfollowed everyone - One by one I went through each person/business I followed to ensure I was on email lists, or had contact details if I wanted to stay in touch with.
Saved some posts and stories I wanted to keep. There is a way to download all your Instagram data but I didn’t look into that until after I deleted my account.
I am leaving Twitter be for now. I rarely login & haven’t shared anything in a long time. Twitter can be useful for academia, so I’ll reevaluate at the end of my PhD if I end up working at a university.
Linked In
I am choosing to use Linked In very intentionally in a professional capacity only. Especially as I’ll be finishing my PhD and looking for research work in the second half of 2021!
Victor Harbor, where I said goodbye to social media over Easter.
My Thoughts on these Changes
Facebook and the Facebook groups have been easier to leave mentally, but time consuming. A business page needs 14 days notice to delete. Many of the Facebook Groups that I had been active in were useful, but I believe the demand they have on our attention makes them costly. Before I left, I wanted to make sure I shared a goodbye post and details on how to reach me moving forward. In this process Facebook also got suspicious I think of the fact I had no friends anymore and was only using groups and locked me out for a few days. This was a little frustrating as I was still wanting to make use of Marketplace and Messenger but was also a little freeing. When I thought about it, if my account wasn’t reinstated I was happy that I felt done with Facebook anyway.
Instagram
Instagram I found more addictive. Harder to let go of. I kept telling myself it was good for business. Good for inspiration. Great for book reviews and connecting with other yoga teachers and students.
But then this year, Instagram was hurting more than it was helping.
There was some things hitting really close to home being shared on social media which I was finding really tough to see in between book review posts and social media posts. A friend even said to me something along the lines of, our brains aren't meant to process it all like that, especially in the Instagram stories feature. A cute puppy, a horrific news article, a nice quote, COVID stats, a yoga pose.
So for most of March I took time off Instagram. And it felt good! It felt really good. It also gave me the time and space I needed to process what was troubling me and speak to my Psychologist about it.
In this time I was thinking a lot more about why as a yoga teacher, I should be encouraging the use of an app which can for many reasons leave us feeling so shitty and cause us to be so mindless. An app that takes our attention away from the present moment, away from thinking deeply, away from resting.
By the end of the Easter Weekend I'd tied up some loose ends and deleted Instagram. I did it quickly. I knew I just needed it gone.
Twitter and Linked In
These are two much less attractive platforms for me. Linked In is becoming more like Facebook rather than an online CV which it was initially intended to be, which I dislike but it is likely important for me to have active post-PhD. I will be monitoring very carefully how I use it. Making every login intentional. Same goes for Twitter.
Resources/People which have Influenced My Decision
As mentioned above, I have been thinking about my social media use for a while. I have been critical of arguments both for and against social media use (and sometimes been very uncritical of the same arguments). I've had to consider these arguments from personal and also business owner perspective. I also then considered it in line with my values as a person.
There are some books and things which have helped me formulate my decision to review my social media use and leave:
Any podcast with Professor and author Zadie Smith where she mentions time and social media (pretty sure it comes up in every podcast interview she is in).
10 Reasons for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff - My next read on this topic, I have only heard others and the author herself speak about it so far.
My Biggest Reasons for Leaving
This gets a little lengthy, so if you aren’t wanting the deep dive, read the bold for my main point, skip the middle and read the italics for my influences on that point.
My time and attention are valuable to me. In 2020, I no longer needed to make up reasons why I didn't want to do something. COVID was enough, even here in Adelaide. As the year came to an end I was in a panic about having to back to doing so much, being over-committed. So I have been asking myself, weekly, sometimes daily. Is this something I really want? If I feel like it is something I need to do, why? Kind of like a toddler, but why? But why? But why? Until I get to the end of it. As I approach the final months of my PhD and final year of my 20s this seems to have become more important and more of an urgent question. Since cutting back and leaving I have more time and energy for me, the things I love and the people I love. In real life, I can choose where my attention goes. On social media, an algorithm optimised for profit decides. Cal Newport, Zadie Smith and Jenny Odell have been a big influence on this one. Plus all 52 books I read in 2020 while spending less time on social media.
My values no longer fit with social media. Social media relies on users to be the product and businesses to be the customer. Public media platforms are free because you are the product, your data is the product. Your data is sold to businesses to advertise to, businesses, political parties, anyone who has a ‘business page’ and places adverts on social media or boosts a post is a customer of the social media companies. Now I have done this. I have run basic advertising as a business and it is effective. You don’t have to use advertising as a business owner but there is a ‘pay to play’ pressure there. Regardless, the algorithm is working away and I believe that it goes too far. That anyone can pay to access use of an algorithm which is not transparent. I got to the stage where I no longer wanted to personally be this product, so why should I be the business customer either? What gives me the right to via for your attention and data via the social media platforms when I know it doesn't fit with my own values. Now social media doesn't need to be this way. I know emails can suck to but at least you have way more control over how and when you consume and the data that can be accessed by the sender. 10 Reasons for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now and The Social Dilemma have been big influences on my thinking on this one. I'm also wanting to read The Art of Surveillance Capitalism to understand this further.
My research tells me that governments are way behind on keeping our data safe. By safe I not only mean secure but the ensuring responsible and ethical use of our data. This comes from my personal research into social media and also my PhD research understanding the gig/share/platform economy and capitalism. Governments have not been able to keep up with these major tech companies, nor have they been able to properly successfully work with them. Whether we look at this in terms of monopolies (Facebook owns Messenger, Whats App and Instagram), corporate tax, Facebook blocking Aus news or our data protection, I’m not confortable the right regulations are in place. Now I totally get that it is tricky and that is isn't all up to the government but I don't feel we have the right national regulations in place to make the current social media fair and safe. I love my tech but I want it to be safe, ethical and secure.
I do not need to be THAT informed. Or at least informed in that way. At times social media has been an ok way to stay up with current events. But it can be an echo chamber and this goes for both sides of politics or any issue. Headlines, memes, captions via social media is not staying informed. Since cutting my social media I have had significantly more time to read and think deeply about issues. I’ve been reading my backlog of saved articles and non-fiction books, enjoying in-depth discussion podcasts without simultaneously, mindlessly scrolling and learning about how to grow better veggies in my courtyard garden. 10 Reasons for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now and watch The Social Dilemma, Digital Minimalism, How to Do Nothing.
Rethinking Your Social Media Use?
Here are some things you might like to consider doing:
Swap social media use for reading a book, maybe one listed above on the topic. It helps to have something else to replace scrolling time with. Not into reading, try out a new recipe or get your body moving instead (access free yoga here).
What is an issue you feel you use social media to stay informed on? Why not take social media off your phone and seek out some quality information on that topic.
Your reasons might not be the same as mine, maybe have a journal about what rings true for you and what you aren’t sure about. What is it you like about social media? What don’t you like about social media? Is there one platform you spend more time on that the others? Why? How do you feel after a bit of time on social media?
Try removing social media from your phone for a weekend, week or maybe a whole month. Then journal about it.
Final Thoughts
Since leaving Instagram I have noticed very quickly that I have more space and have so much more control over what I consume and when.
I have more space. Running a business there was the pressure to post everyday. I don't care what anyone tells you, that takes time. But I noticed that it wasn't just the time it takes to write a caption and share a post. There is a need to think about what day to day moments need to be shared. What would make a good post, what would make a good story. Without it, all of that's gone. There is more room to enjoy moments. My phone memory and my own is cleared up. I now take photos and memories just for me or to share with those close to me or a few highlights for an Insights article like this one. #MeTourism: The hidden costs of selfie tourism.
I have so much more control over my attention. When I opened up Instagram, I never knew what I was about to see or read. The algorithm was deciding what I should see next and why, without any context. Our brains need context and we should not be leaving it up to an algorithm to decide what gets our attention. A cute puppy, a horrific news article, a nice quote, COVID stats, a yoga pose. Our brains aren't meant to process all this one after the other and out of context.
I have more energy. Resisting social media when I had it was exhausting. Exercising will power against something that is designed to be addictive is a battle. Now that I simply don’t have an Instagram account to log into and there is nothing to see on Facebook, I have nothing to resist. Though I did notice I picked up my phone and checked the weather a lot for a bit until I got used to there being nothing on my phone really to check for updates on!
I don’t miss it. In fact I feel so relieved that it is not part of my life or business anymore. If I feel the need to flick through something visually pleasing, like I would on Instagram, instead I can pick up a recipe book and decide on a new recipe to try out, pick up gardening magazine or the latest issue of Peppermint, browse in a bookshop or step into my garden. Or I swap that with going deep and picking up a book. When I feel like there is something I could like to share with other people, I save it in my notes section and then select a couple to share in my weekly Sunday morning email.
Overall, I feel happier, less anxious and have taken back hours to my week. My ideas may change on this issue over time but I don’t think I will ever be returning to social media. Not while the platforms are the way they are.
What’s Next for me?
I’m enjoying my new time and mental space.
I will be focussing on adding additional value to my email list (so make sure you are on it) and here on my blog.
I’m trying out Magic May.
My research on this topic isn’t over, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff is my next read and I have borrowed the audio version of Lurking: How a Person Became a User from the library.
I’m committing to regular screen free days.
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