What does a Social Media Detox do?

Hello! It has been a little while, and I know that you are probably bored right about now. So am I. That is why, this week on the Youtube Channel, I am doing a week long social media detox. This probably sounds counter productive. “Social media is what is keeping me alive!” I hear you saying. And, you’re right. Since going in lockdown, I have grown an unhealthy obsession to social media and streaming Youtube Videos. That is why I have chosen to do this. 

If you are into productivity Youtube channels, or books, then you have probably heard of people doing something like this. Heck, you probably have done this at one point if you are into productivity stuff. If that is the case, then you probably already know what I will say in this post, if so, thank you for reading. But, if you are here, you may be wondering what the post says on the tin. Well, that is what we are going to talk about, so I hope you get what you want out of this. 

The Research

We could hop right into what I learned from doing this myself for a week, but I want to give what the general research says and then later give what I got out of it on a personal level. 

Before we get into the actual research I did, I need to lay out the grounding that these are probably not real studies and that not everything said here will affect you. Everyone is different and these sources are using generals, so if you do not get affected as greatly as anyone else, then do not feel bad. 

The website “Inquirer.net” has a blog post about this exact topic, so let’s low-key swipe some of the things they said there. They have a good list, and in fact, I can almost ensure you’ve heard them before if you have heard someone spout the negative affects of social media. 

The first thing they say is, that it will break the social comparison. This is a common thing heard when talking about social media. And to be fair, it is a negative one. When you get on social media, you will see those who have it better than you and you will start to feel bad for yourself.  For me, this has never really been an issue, but for a good amount of people out there, they cannot avoid the constant comparison they do to themselves when they see someone living a life they wanted to live. When you stop using social media, there is a stop in people to compare yourself to. 

Another thing they say will change is that your mood will improve. And, once again, this makes since. Generally people who use social media get so involved in it and the drama that is found on there, that it can make them a more upset person. You can get so invested in an argument with someone that it actually affects how you feel that day. When you stop using apps and sites that have those arguments, then you will be happier, unless you live with family, then most likely those arguments will never end. 

This website has a habit of making different points that really could be wrapped up into one. They mention the basic idea that you will be able to get back to living in the now; you wont be distracted from what you have, and you wont be so focused on the past. When you are on social media, it can be like a time machine, but one that constantly brings you back to that photo in 7th grade with the haircut that you just hate now. You are able to go back as far as you have been on the platform and see all of the dumb stuff you did a few years ago. But not just that, social media will suck up your time and your focus, making you ignore important things in your life. 

The final thing I will put here that this website wrote is that you will have more time. Social media takes up a lot of hours of the day. With this free time you have, you can improve your skills/hobbies, or go for a walk or just enjoy the things you already have in your house. 

Photo From “Smartphones are the new cigarettes”

My Results

Now, I understand that all of that research may make me sound like I hate social media and think it needs to go. This is not true. I actually think that social media is an important part of us connecting to those people who are far away and we miss. It is also a great way to promote businesses and is important for growth. However, I think we should use all social media in moderation. We should schedule an hour or so each day to get on our social media apps and only stick to that hour. You can be a little looser on that hour some days if there is something actually important that needs to be done. But most of the time, it is advised that you stick to the hour.

I know what your wondering, how did it go for me? Well, overall pretty good. I did have some withdraw affects the first day or two, but after that I was a-okay. The entire time I was really really bored and I had to constantly find stuff for me to do. So, I cleaned my entire room, and did some organizing. I also developed habits for myself(as you can see the effects of that on the blog with the short stories).

So, from my experience, I too have a list of stuff to give. My list will answer the question prompted, “What does a Social Meida detox do?

1. Gives you free time
   Before the detox I was clocking in a lot of hours watching Youtube and scrolling mindlessly on platforms like Instagram and Facebook. This activity made me always feel like I had no free time and I was so busy. But, in reality, I was wasting my free time on those apps. During the detox, I realised just how much time I would have back if I stopped using those apps. And when I did, I got very bored – because I wanted something to stimulate my brainicle. So, I got very productive and did a lot more than I would have done if I did not take up this challenge.
2. Give you a moment to step back
   This may sound confusing, but really I am just saying that it lets you take a look at why you want social media. For me, I want to use it to connect to family and friends along with trying to grow my Youtube channel. It also helps you see what social media apps you probably don’t need. For example, I was using Reddit a lot and posting on it a lot because I wanted to share things I was experiencing(mostly in the game “Minecraft”). This was a need for attention and acceptence. During the detox, I realized I did not need it and I moved on from it.
3. Makes you happier
   Now, I may be just copying a point that the website said before, but this actually happened. In the recordings I made for myself I said that I actually felt happier. I think this is because I had stopped feeling like I was somehow required to watch every video my favorite content creaters post(although you should totally do this with my YouTube channel ;D). But going back to the last point I made, I was able to take a step back and see that I did not need this and my mood was improved.
4. Gives you opportunites to find things you like
   During the detox, I was listening to a lot of audiobooks, I mean a LOT of audio books. So I had to figure out what I liked with that. I was able to tell which books I liked and now I am able to look for more like them and read those down the line. I also started reading the news on my phone, even though it is very sad and scary nowadays, I enjoyed the idea that I was engaging in the world greater than my bedroom.

With this all being said, keep in mind that these results may not apply to you. This is a personal experience and everybody is different. But that will conclude the points I give here, if you are interested in more, then you can check out the partner YouTube video that went up at the same time this post did. You can find that video here.

If you have any comments or questions about my experience through my social media detox, then go ahead and leave a comment and I will do my best to answer your question. Also make sure to check out the rest of my website and other links. Thank you very much for reading. I will see you again(hopefully) next week with a new post like this!

-A