For the longest time I have tried to do the same challenge over and over, failing every time and finally I decided that I cannot live without social media.

I cannot live without it, yet I can live without some of it, that is something that I have learned while trying not to use any of my apps, for a week or just a few days at least(several times). Currently, the only social media app in my phone is Snapchat, reason being that I have not been able to cop an iPhone 8 or X at the moment and my storage forces me to delete every single thing on my phone and choose between apps from time to time. Snapchat is the chosen one because it is the only one I cannot use through Safari lol, but I tend to delete it from time to time too when I get bored of it or need storage to use other apps, *eye roll*.

The main reason I always try to do a social media detox, is mainly because I feel emotionally affected by social media most of the time. I will read, lurk, stalk and go above and beyond to find something that will ultimately make me feel like shit at the end of the day. A perfect example of this is when we find a girl who we might consider a threat or a bother to use a better word. We look up ex-girlfriends, ex- fuck buddies, current fuck buddies and girlfriends, we search for dates, pictures and comments and the goal is to find something that will give you the opportunity to create a fight, feel upset and finally have a shitty rest of the day.

I used to be obsessed over everything that my significant other put on social media, it consumed me to the point that I would start crying while driving, while at work, school or anywhere. Most of the time, I was overreacting and if I wasn’t, today I just think to myself “Why the fuck am I giving my two cents on something as silly and dumb as this?” There are far better things I could be doing with my time than focusing on stuff that brings me down.

The love/hate relationship I have with social media is such a fine line, sometimes I am not too sure if it is more hate than love. Depends on the day, the app and who I am stalking or using it for probably, but whenever I tried to not use any of it, I always missed out on something and in today’s society that is just not acceptable. Especially if you are seeking to become a journalist, where you have to know everything at all times at the time it happens.

The main reason I often find I need to detox from it all is when it becomes too much for me. I used to think I was obsessed about what I posted on Instagram, I still low-key am. I take 8483849 pictures trying to find that perfect one where I look flawless to the point where you are unrecognizable in person, you search for the perfect background and aesthetics that of course go along with the rest of your ig and then break your head for a witty, funny or pun intended caption that will give you thousands of likes. Then when you don’t get the feedback you expected, you get bummed.

I remember I used to take pictures just for the sake of it, to have a memory of that time and place where I was having fun and living the moment, and now we are trying to provide to an audience that is probably judging us anyway. I know that I do it, we all do it. You look up that girl who is next to your crush, analyze every bits and pieces of her account and will say things such as “oh but she has an ugly nose”, “she looks like a slut in that outfit,” and yet you have never met this girl and more than likely she actually has never done anything to you to be unnecessarily mean.

Social media low-key makes us want to compete with one another if we let it. We try to one up each other to prove who is the trendiest, most creative, photogenic and perfect persona and it becomes so exhausting. Personally, I never want to post something for other’s approval anymore and I don’t want to worry about the stuff that I see as well. If you see a girl that is hot af, instead of getting upset and wanting to kill yourself use it as a motivation but also try to remember that the majority of pictures are modified and transformed into looking freakishly perfect.

Not everyone is having the time of their lives all the time, Not all relationship goals you see are actually goals the majority of those people cheat on each other, and not all those smiling pictures mean that someone is happy all the time. People choose what to show to the world and that’s okay but don’t get too overwhelmed about it, and if you need a break delete everything fuck it. A break is always good, we forget that besides our phone are other things we can do with our time like reading, or watching a series or movie or going for a walk with a friend. I have come to find that social media will not help you cope with your stress but probably increase it, so take a breather if needed. You will feel a little bit better even if it is for a day or too, and then you can go back to watching Snapchat stories of people drunk on the weekend.

Illustration by:sedicelugrafia

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