In a time where we need social media in order to communicate and keep up with people, I took the challenge to distance myself from it. I deleted all social media apps from my phone because I wanted to see what life was like without it. Originally, I had thought it would be extremely difficult to do, especially with not being able to communicate with people the way I usually do, via SnapChat. But, I wanted to prove to the people around me and the older generations that the stereotype of teenagers on their phones didn’t apply to everyone. I also wanted to prove to the people who all told me, “Caleb, you’re an idiot for doing this”. So,when the time came to delete the apps, there was a feeling of liberation that came over me as soon as I did it.
When I took that first step, I felt that over the three weeks without social media that my anxiety had decreased significantly. I didn’t have the constant urge to check my phone to see if there was another message I needed to respond to or not. I didn’t have to worry about responding to a message right away either. It was as if my phone really didn’t exist anymore The only use of it was to call and text people that I was particularly close with. This was the perfect opportunity to get off the radar and distance myself from everyone and everything.
The first thing that I had noticed without the apps is the amount of people glued to their phones in public, especially at restaurants. Whenever I go into work at Buffalo Wild Wings, there are a ridiculous amount of people on their phones instead of interacting to the people sitting with them. It’s as if we have lost the art of conversation. Sure,we are the first ones to get our hands on the new technology of smart phones, but our social skills as a whole are somewhat deteriorating because of it.
Another observation that I made was somewhat disturbing. One night, as I hung out with my friends, I felt somewhat lonely. Most of my friends were on their phones talking to other people, and I was the one out of the fun since I had deleted all my social apps. Instead of conversing with each other at the kitchen counter where we were at, they were instead talking to others who weren’t even there. I was the only one out of place since I separated myself from it.
After this experiment, I gathered that the people of today are not very good at being social and being isolated. In public, we are constantly talking to others who aren’t even there with us. If you want proof, simply go to any restaurant. Because we are constantly interacting with others, we are unable to be alone and take time for ourselves. We don’t take time out of the day to really decipher the thoughts we are thinking and what really makes us happy in life. Ever since the experiment, I have been more aware of my phone usage, especially when conversing with the people around me. I have also learned to manage my time more effectively in my studies since I turn off my phone every time I hit the books. Yet, I have redownloaded both my Instagram and Snapchat app just for the sake of trying to keep up with people that I enjoy that I normally don’t get to talk to in my day to day life. As much freedom the life of no social media has, social media has tethered me to keep up with people and stay informed about the world. We can all agree that the technology of today is something that we should be very grateful to have, but let us not use it for ill health in our society that thrives on social media use.