Deactivation of Social Networks and my Feelings

The behavior I chose to abstain from for at least four weeks was social media. Before this assignment I had thought about abstaining from social media but never had the willpower to follow through with it. I always broke down and got back on social media. I began this project by deleting the Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat apps off of my phone. I feel as if I should’ve slowly stopped using it rather than quitting it all at once.

I have had the opportunity to utilize social media since I was in middle school. My middle school, while I was in sixth grade, received MacBooks. One for every child. It was when social media and technology started really sky-rocketing. I feel as if when every child in my school received a MacBook, it was “cool” if you had a Facebook. If you did not have one then you felt left out and uncool. A lot of parents would not let their children utilize social media. I was not allowed to for a while until that was the only thing I begged my parents for. My mother is a social media addict. My father on the other hand, is not. He does not utilize one ounce of social media. He does not see the point of it. My mother puts her whole life on there.

I began this project by deleting the Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat apps off of my phone. This honestly lasted for a couple of days before I felt like I absolutely needed social media. It was honestly very hard to just all of a sudden quit getting on any kind of social media. Every morning, when I woke up, scroll through Facebook was the first thing I wanted to do. Every time I was bored I thought about Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. When I was waiting for the bus here at East Carolina University, I wanted to get on my phone because everyone around me was on social media. On the bus, I wanted to get on social media because everyone around me was. I feel like in today’s society, not being or having social media makes you feel distant and not connected with everyone. For a couple of day’s I felt as if abstaining from social media was not going to happen. I felt completely hopeless about my will and motivation to be able to do it. I felt like social media was my stress reliever. Being a full-time college student while also working part-time, almost full-time, is very stressful. I feel like I never have time for anything but I always could utilize social media while waiting for the bus or riding the bus. I guess you make time for what you want to make time for. The third week of the abstention, I had to go completely without a phone. I had to do this because I was at work and had my phone in my scrub shirt pocket. While it was in my shirt pocket, bleach was spilled all over me while I was loading a washing machine. It was a rough week but I feel like I learned from it and I am thankful that I now have a phone. Social media was definitely the least of my worries that week!

Abstaining from social media definitely included some difficulties throughout the process. There were several times during the weekend when I was taking a break from studying and I would re-download Facebook and be on it for five minutes and delete it again. It was like I had to get a little taste of it and then I was fine for a day or so. This abstention process is very much like when I went from drinking just Dr. Pepper at every meal to just water and sprite. I absolutely drink no caffeine. That was a very hard process but I eventually got through it. I would definitely compare a habit to an addiction. Throughout this process of abstaining from social media, I was constantly wondering what everyone was posting and if I had missed something. Social media makes individuals feel important and like someone cares. Several times at work I can tell someone about something I am doing or going to do and they act like they do not care or are uninterested. Where as if I or someone else posted on Facebook that they are eating wherever or they are at wherever then everyone likes it and comments on it. I feel as if the comments and likes make individuals feel as if they are important and are cared about. I have a best friend that is in the navy and the only way I can communicate with him is through Facebook messenger. Those couple of weeks where I was trying to abstain from social media I felt as if I was neglecting my friend and I constantly wanted to check to see if he had messaged me. I felt disconnected from my friends and family. I always saw the negatives in not using social media and I never thought about the good that could come out of it.

Social media has transformed society (Gagarin). It has changed things from how individuals interact with each other to how we purchase items and things we need (Gagarin). I never was aware that there are positive effects from abstaining from social media. I am aware that being online way too much can affect mood and productivity. Nothing is ever achieved or finished from being on social media (Blacer). I found a blog on an individual that conducted a month long experiment on himself abstaining from social media. One of the things he found was that he slept better and longer (Blacer). He talks about how individuals usually end up losing sleep laughing over funny cat videos. This leaves you to be stressed, puffy eyed, and unproductive according to the blogger (Blacer). The blogger goes on to describe how if you abstain from social media that you’ll be able to think more, have more time to read, immune from negative feelings, and you’ll enjoy life more (Blacer). I could not completely agree more with his blog. Every point he made was clear and true. The blogger suggests, “Instead of browsing pictures depicting breathtaking scenery, get off the keyboard and take a stroll around the neighborhood. Seeing the sunset, hearing children’s laughter and breathing fresh air is more enjoyable than looking at a phone screen…and gives you the chance to feel and enjoy being alive” (Blacer). I completely loved that statement and wish everyone felt this way. Abstaining from social media also forces you to reprioritize in person-interactions (Lanquist). I feel as if that is one thing that individuals lack nowadays. No one knows how to have a good conversation in person anymore. Abstaining from social media also have some other good affects (Lanquist). According to 6 potential Mental Health Benefits of Deleting Social Media, abstaining from social media might can also reduce an individuals anxiety and worrying (Lanquist). The keyword for that statement is might. Abstaining from social media can also allow you to avoid fear of missing out (Lanquist). Obviously, fear of missing out can also be caused by not being on social media. An individual could worry about missing a huge announcement from a friend or even forgetting someones birthday! Abstaining from social media can aid in an individual remembering all of the things they enjoy doing (Lanquist).

There are two types of individuals who want to delete social media. One type are those who are discussing completely deleting one’s account and putting social media (Bullinger). On the other hand, the second type of individual is one who is taking a break from it due to “social media fatigue” or have grown tired of social media all together (Bullinger). I feel as if everyone tries to abstain from social media at some point in their lives. According to, The Dark Side of Social Media: A Reality Becoming More Contemporary by the Day, social media was created with a simple intention. That intention was to take away darkness from individuals’ lives by sharing knowledge and communicating with those near and far away. Social media was not created as a bad thing. It is as if that society has transformed social media into the one thing that individuals are now trying to abstain from.

At the end of this abstention project, I have learned that I do not need social media to be connected with my boyfriend or friends. This is just a feeling that I obtained from society. Having a phone to just text and call them off of is perfectly fine. Since the one week that I did not have a phone at all, I have become thankful to just have a phone to text and call off of. I think the reason of why I thought I could not abstain from social media was because I am so far away from home. I felt like I needed to be connected to my friends and family at home. I now feel as if just calling or texting them is enough. If something important is happening then they will tell me or show me. I do not need to see every post and picture that they post on social media to be connected to them! I would like to say that the cycle is broken. When I wake up in the mornings, social media is not the first thing I want to do. Instead of wasting five or ten minutes in the mornings on social media I get up and get ready and have extra time to grab breakfast before my classes. I also no longer have a twitter or Instagram. On those two forms of social media, I deleted the accounts. I regretted it for a slight second after doing it but since then I feel more positive about it.

In the future, I feel as if I can definitely relate this to future work with clients because I will know how hard it is to abstain from a habit or anything similar to that. I will know how hard it is to give something up that you have relied on for however long. I will utilize this abstention project as a way to help my future patients. I will understand what they are going through. I feel as if this project has aided me in the understanding of abstention and the process that goes along with it. I thought this would be easy but in actuality, it was difficult. I did not have anyone to help me stay off of social media. One thing that I will make sure my client knows is that they have someone they can depend on to help them with whatever situation they are in. 

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