A Guide to Deleting Social Media Apps
During the COVID lockdown, I permanently deleted all my social media accounts. The newly found free time allowed me to delve into learning new skills, reading, and writing. Since then, I have reinstalled Instagram only and usually don’t have it downloaded on my phone. If, like me, social media apps are leaving you unsatisfied, this blog may convince you to take the plunge and delete them.
The Impact of Social Media on Attention
Our attention span has been rapidly deflated by TikTok reels and smartphone notifications. A four-hour scrolling marathon is readily available for everyone. This time-consuming diversion reduces our creativity, focus, and satisfaction.
Additionally, the habit of checking Instagram for quick dopamine hits is making people unhappy. No one finishes a doom-scrolling session with a sense of accomplishment. In fact, most people end it feeling ashamed and unproductive. Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok are filled with clickbait and annoying influencers. There is nothing good to be obtained from aimlessly scrolling on these platforms.
The Cost of Social Media
Yes, there are some benefits to social media. It’s nice to see what friends are doing, and perhaps you follow accounts in areas that interest you. However, everyone is only posting their highlights. It’s not an accurate representation of people’s lives, full of the ups and downs of existence. Life can be tough at times. Social media often makes us feel our struggles are unique while everyone else is having fun. It’s a showing-off tool used as a proxy curtain call: “Congratulations to me, everybody.”
Besides, social media apps are poisonous time-drains. Open your phone settings and check your screen time. Are you comfortable spending that amount of time each day on your phone? And for what? There is no tangible reward for scrolling on social media. No new skill, learning, or fulfilment is obtained.
Tips for Reducing Social Media Use
Here’s some advice: delete all the social media apps from your mobile—Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook—and only use them on your laptop or PC. Check them as infrequently as possible. Instead of using those platforms to communicate, give your number to those who need it and communicate via WhatsApp or text. Consider permanently deleting social media accounts that you do not need. Do you really need a TikTok account?
Try to check social media a set number of times a day. Perhaps start generously with 10 or 20 times a day, and then lower it by one each day until you’re checking only once or twice.
For those who need social media on their phone for whatever reason, consider logging out of the application after each session. Having to enter the password each time adds an extra layer to prevent the apps from being over-utilised.
Making the Most of Your Free Time
If you can reduce your screen time by a couple of hours as a result of this, you’ll have a couple of hours more each day to enhance your life—something far more beneficial than doom-scrolling. So, what to do with your newly discovered free time? Pick up a hobby. It could be reading books, learning a language, or starting a sport. All of these provide tangible improvements to your life: knowledge, skills, and new friends.
The choice is between living a more fulfilled and interesting life or continuing to aimlessly doom-scroll. Head over to your home screen, hold down the Instagram application, and press delete. Now breathe easily. Here’s to a better, more content life.