February 20, 2018
Quinita Thomas
As appealing as it might be to hide behind a screen through a social media profile, this is never going to guarantee gratification like actually living and experiencing life.
During my sophomore year at UCCS, I used Facebook and Twitter too much.
If I didn’t have much to say, then I poked around for good sales, since a lot of students sell books or look for someone to take over their lease. I would also use social media to try to go to parties because I wanted to be liked.
I love Facebook, Twitter and other types of social media as much as the next person. But sometimes too much of something can be a bad thing.
Taking a break from social media will allow you to feel more grounded. Detoxing from social media is good for students, especially now with distractions like a heavy 24-hour news cycle and apps that suck battery life.
From my personal experience, I have noticed quite a bit of drama or negativity floating around on either Facebook or Twitter, so I wanted to try this detox and see if it actually worked.
Since my sophomore year, I have cut down on social media quite a bit. The main factor that played a role in me taking a step back was drama.
Whenever I went on Facebook to see how friends were doing, I noticed complaining and negativity. I realized drama really wasn’t beneficial to my life.
In a 2014 Medium article, “What I Learned from a 30-Day Social Media Detox,” author Jason Zook says that social media is a good place to reel people into businesses. However, it is also a forum for criticism that can negatively impact others.
We all want to be accepted and liked by others. But living a constant life of judgment in the digital world can take a toll on you.
Detoxing from social media involves self-control. Instead of wondering why you didn’t check Facebook to see what parties you have been missing, you could devote your time to something more meaningful, like spending time with a loved one, or time for yourself to get away.
Another possibility also exists to take a break: delete social media that you use the most.
Taking a break has helped me get back in touch with who I really am. Sometimes I think social media makes people lose touch with themselves, and they forget the important things in life once too heavily involved.
We live in a society where everyone is judged on social media by what they do, or what they wear. By detoxing, students can really concentrate on personal embellishments and doing things they like to do, not what their friends think they should.
You cannot live your life through a screen.