as a fellow 20-something year old who is beginning to become offline for my mental health, this post is so comforting and relatable!
Thought you might like this quote from Kyle Chayka's 'Filterworld', "No one cares when you stop tweeting; the algorithm will simply slot in the content of some more willing participant, because, in Filterworld, everyone is replaceable."
Game changing. I hope to wake up one day and realise I’ve gone 6 months without reactivating my instagram account. All the photos I’ve posted there are on my phone and in my photo albums. The obsession has done nothing but dissolve my enjoyment of things.
can’t recommend it enough, especially once you realize you don’t even feel the urge to reach for it anymore. You almost can comprehend it, buts it’s so liberating at the same time
I truly understand this. The problem is our society is based on promoting in us a sense of lack. As if we need to prove ourselves. "I have 200 subscribers" makes people become a transactional number when in reality I'm sure we would be happy with 5 people who truly engaged with us and that we could have conversations and show up as our authentic selves.
I unplugged four years ago, and except for this new Substack business, haven’t fucked with social media since.
In any case, I deeply connected with your essay; it made me feel much less alone. And seeing that someone your age had authored it was especially inspiring.
I kinda regret joining social media at such an early age. It’s such a joy killer and it has affected my mental health in ways I never knew it could. So thank you for writing this.
I've been putting these tips into practice for the past two years, and I couldn’t be prouder of how far I’ve come—it actually works! The results are life-changing. Over time, you reach a point where you genuinely don’t care or even give a slight thought to whatever’s happening on social media. It’s such a freeing feeling!
If you’re feeling stuck, here’s a tip that worked wonders for me: change your account’s password to something only one trusted person (like a guardian) knows. The trick is that you shouldn’t know the password yourself. To make it even more foolproof, enable two-step verification and link it to your guardian’s phone. Trust me, it’s a game-changer!
The term pseudo-friendship comes to mind, where some people would often refer to others as “I have a friend who…” when telling a story, when said friend is an online connection or an “influencer” that they are so invested in but does not know they exist.
Pair that with an over consumption of information driven by an algorithm designed to create an echo chamber for our own thoughts and fortify them into concrete barely supported but highly steadfast opinions.
So that mental clarity you describe, it is needed for all.
Just decided to deactivate and delete my social media more than a week ago because I felt like it's too overstimulating to me. And it indeed gave me clarity.
i am 18 years old, and i took a gap year after highschool to just disappear from life for a while, i just recently deactivated my instagram, i am not active on tiktok anymore, and i stopped doing snapchat streaks all that felt soo overwhelming, and i feel so much better now,especially that i am only keeping in touch with my true true friends because mind you, it is so true how the social circle gets smaller after highschool, and this post is so comforting thank you
as a 16 year-old who has has social media for only little more that a couple years, this was really wonderful.
although i've only had it for about 3 years, i hate it. its just so draining and i've been looking for something to push me to delete it. i've been thinking about it for almost 6 months now and this is my final push, i really appreciate this
i love love looveeed this! as someone who is in the process of becoming less and less obsessed with social media, it is so eye opening to see how enjoyable life actually is without the constant noise, stupidity, and promotion vomit that most platforms generate these days
as a fellow 20-something year old who is beginning to become offline for my mental health, this post is so comforting and relatable!
Thought you might like this quote from Kyle Chayka's 'Filterworld', "No one cares when you stop tweeting; the algorithm will simply slot in the content of some more willing participant, because, in Filterworld, everyone is replaceable."
thank you so much for sharing, so glad you liked it🫶🏽
Game changing. I hope to wake up one day and realise I’ve gone 6 months without reactivating my instagram account. All the photos I’ve posted there are on my phone and in my photo albums. The obsession has done nothing but dissolve my enjoyment of things.
can’t recommend it enough, especially once you realize you don’t even feel the urge to reach for it anymore. You almost can comprehend it, buts it’s so liberating at the same time
I remember being that kid that didn’t have ANY social media until 16. I would just read articles on my phone and text my friends :)
that sounds so peaceful😌
I truly understand this. The problem is our society is based on promoting in us a sense of lack. As if we need to prove ourselves. "I have 200 subscribers" makes people become a transactional number when in reality I'm sure we would be happy with 5 people who truly engaged with us and that we could have conversations and show up as our authentic selves.
I unplugged four years ago, and except for this new Substack business, haven’t fucked with social media since.
In any case, I deeply connected with your essay; it made me feel much less alone. And seeing that someone your age had authored it was especially inspiring.
Thanks for taking the time.
thank you for taking the time to share your experience!
I kinda regret joining social media at such an early age. It’s such a joy killer and it has affected my mental health in ways I never knew it could. So thank you for writing this.
thank you for sharing, remember you can always get that childhood sense of wonder back😌🫶🏽
feel this in my soul
thank you🫶🏽
I've been putting these tips into practice for the past two years, and I couldn’t be prouder of how far I’ve come—it actually works! The results are life-changing. Over time, you reach a point where you genuinely don’t care or even give a slight thought to whatever’s happening on social media. It’s such a freeing feeling!
If you’re feeling stuck, here’s a tip that worked wonders for me: change your account’s password to something only one trusted person (like a guardian) knows. The trick is that you shouldn’t know the password yourself. To make it even more foolproof, enable two-step verification and link it to your guardian’s phone. Trust me, it’s a game-changer!
completely agree!!
The term pseudo-friendship comes to mind, where some people would often refer to others as “I have a friend who…” when telling a story, when said friend is an online connection or an “influencer” that they are so invested in but does not know they exist.
Pair that with an over consumption of information driven by an algorithm designed to create an echo chamber for our own thoughts and fortify them into concrete barely supported but highly steadfast opinions.
So that mental clarity you describe, it is needed for all.
Offline should be prescribed.
thank you for sharing Saria! completely agree, we need to stop normalizing this as “connection”
Just decided to deactivate and delete my social media more than a week ago because I felt like it's too overstimulating to me. And it indeed gave me clarity.
keep going with it, see where it takes you
Wow this was an amazing read 😮. Felt it in every inch of my bones.
thank you so much, Maisha🫶🏽 I’m so incredibly flattered
truly loved this, can't wait to read more!
thank you so much🥺🫶🏽
i am 18 years old, and i took a gap year after highschool to just disappear from life for a while, i just recently deactivated my instagram, i am not active on tiktok anymore, and i stopped doing snapchat streaks all that felt soo overwhelming, and i feel so much better now,especially that i am only keeping in touch with my true true friends because mind you, it is so true how the social circle gets smaller after highschool, and this post is so comforting thank you
thank you for sharing! glad to hear you’re feeling better🫶🏽
as a 16 year-old who has has social media for only little more that a couple years, this was really wonderful.
although i've only had it for about 3 years, i hate it. its just so draining and i've been looking for something to push me to delete it. i've been thinking about it for almost 6 months now and this is my final push, i really appreciate this
I’m so glad reading this has led you to take this positive step, I promise you won’t regret it🫶🏽
ive been wanting to get off social media but this fear of missing out always end up overpowering my desire to delete social media ugh
you will miss out on some things, but you will gain so much more of yourself in return
i love love looveeed this! as someone who is in the process of becoming less and less obsessed with social media, it is so eye opening to see how enjoyable life actually is without the constant noise, stupidity, and promotion vomit that most platforms generate these days