A Better Life Without Social Media

For most of my adult life, friends and I have talked about the addictive and negative aspects of social media. A constant highlight reel with individualised targeted ads, an algorithm designed to maximise engagement, not to mention infinite scrolling. Previously, having tried removing social media sporadically with little luck, I’ve now permanently deleted Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit, TikTok, X and deactivated my Facebook account.

For a week back in December, I aimed to spend as little time on my phone as possible and managed less than one hour a day. That week I noticed I was more content, more present in my day to day, had better focus, attention, and did not have to ‘check’ or ‘get an update’ from my phone. The following week I ended up back on some social platforms and almost immediately felt repulsed, quickly realising how little value they added to my life while noticing the amount of my time they wasted. Always at the cost of hours per day. It is expected that the average Australian will spend almost 17 years of their life on their phone. Or 33% of their waking lives. Thats not how I want to live my life.

It’s now been over a month since deleting social media, and there has only been positive changes. Those hours I would spend on my phone have been filled, exercising on average one hour a day every day through January. I have also noticed far more mental clarity and subsequently have been more productive with my PhD work (not quantified). Most notably though, I have gained back multiple hours every day that I have filled with far more gratifying and fulfilling activities — reading, exercising, journaling, learning and more time with friends and family. The problem of social media, phones and screen time is not that uncommon. Professor Jonathan Haidt’s book The Anxious Generation, delves into the rise of smart phones, social media and the increased percentage of teens and young adults with anxiety and depression. Whether there is a causative link or not, I have felt far better off using my phone less. In fact, the less I use it, the better I feel.

Maybe it was that damn phone.