My New Social Media Addiction: Not Being on It
We all know how damaging social media can be. We’ve read study after study that has found it impacts our mental health and makes us lonelier. Whether your vice is Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or TikTok, the fact is that your brain is slowly but surely being rewired.
I have set myself free. I have just marked a whole year without Instagram.
It began when I admitted to a friend that looking at glossy pictures of other people’s achievements was getting me down. My pal agreed, and so we made a pact: delete Instagram from our phones and go cold turkey.
For the first few days, I missed it. I was irritable. My friend downloaded an app that awarded her gold stars for every hour she avoided social media. She lasted a week.
But as the days passed, I started to feel less addicted. Not being on Instagram felt 50 times better than getting 50 likes. I also felt as though I’d clawed back some privacy.
I feel less pressure to be perfect and I actually spend less time on my phone. Naturally, I’ve set it to tell me precisely how much less – down by two hours last week. Gold stars all round.
Vocabulary
vice – a bad habit or something harmful that you enjoy doing often, “Smoking is a dangerous vice that can hurt your health.”
slowly but surely – making slow but certain progress toward a goal, “She is slowly but surely learning how to ride a bicycle.”
rewired – changed in the way it works or thinks, “Learning a new language can make your brain feel rewired.”
marked – celebrated or remembered an important date or event, “We marked my grandmother’s 80th birthday with a big family dinner.”
glossy – shiny, smooth, and looking very attractive or expensive, “The fashion magazine was filled with glossy photos of famous models.”
getting me down – making you feel sad, discouraged, or unhappy, “The cold, rainy weather is really getting me down today.”
made a pact – made a serious agreement or promise between two or more people, “My brother and I made a pact to stop eating fast food.”
go cold turkey – to suddenly and completely stop a bad habit or addiction all at once, “He decided to go cold turkey and quit drinking soda completely.”
irritable – becoming annoyed, angry, or upset very easily, “The baby was irritable because she did not get her afternoon nap.”
clawed back – fought hard to get something back that you had lost, “The team clawed back from a bad start to win the final match.”
privacy – the state of being alone and free from other people watching or bothering you, “He closed his bedroom door because he wanted some privacy.”
precisely – exactly or accurately, “The train arrived at precisely three o’clock.”
gold stars all round – a phrase used to praise everyone for doing an excellent job, “You all finished your chores early, so gold stars all round!”