How I gave up social media for a month: the experience of a Canadian entrepreneur

I decided to go back to 2007 for a month, when social networks did not play such a big role in our lives. I deleted Facebook, Twitter and Reddit from my phone, and if I wanted to use social networks, I had to go to them from my computer. I wanted to insulate myself from their omnipresence and did not want to catch myself thinking that I was wasting my time on them again.

This decision came to me after an interview with Tristan Harris, a former Google designer. Of course, I always knew that we spend a lot of free time on social media. But I never realized that this habit was designed and thought out by the creators of these sites themselves.

Large platforms act on our weaknesses, in particular our need for public approval. Therefore, we try to get as many likes, stars and hearts as possible. These short moments of pleasure keep us checking social media from morning to night. This is what the business model is based on.

What has changed since the abandonment of social networks

It turned out that not going to social networks when they are not on your smartphone is not so difficult. I didn’t miss them, but from time to time I caught myself thinking that I was unconsciously checking my phone. This usually happened while waiting for something: while the food was warming up in the microwave, if a friend went to the restroom, or even when the site was slowly loading on a laptop.

By the sixth day of the experiment, the smartphone was no longer as interesting to me as it used to be. I took it in my hands much less often. Now Twitter, Facebook and Reddit seemed boring and even disgusting to me.

I can't get rid of the thought that social media is a devourer of our emotions and energy. We don't want to waste them on something useful. We leave social media out of boredom or unwillingness to do important things. I know this feeling firsthand.

After starting the experiment, I had a lot of time. First, those 45-90 minutes that I spent checking social networks. And secondly, the time it took to restore the working mood after such breaks. Now the hour did not pass as quickly as before. I realized that social media is the easiest way to waste your life.

How social media is sneaking into our real life

This happened on about the ninth day of the experiment. Facebook noticed my absence.

When you don't post anything, you don't get any responses. Consequently, the notification feed is empty. But one day, to my surprise, I received several notifications. At first I thought that someone had commented or liked some old post. But no. On the screen, I saw something like, "Read Jim's new comment on his photo" or "Jane commented on her status." Facebook decided that I should know about this.

Back in the early days of Facebook, we used this site to stay in touch with our friends. Back then, Facebook didn't have that much money, and we didn't understand that this illusion would not replace real communication. Now we need these notifications. We need to know that we are remembered. And the creators of social networks make money from human needs.

Experiment Result

Social media, at least its modern version, has lost me. I began to read more, walk, communicate and work. I don’t avoid social media, but I use them more consciously. I share on the networks thoughts that may be interesting and useful to others, and I keep in touch with acquaintances if there is no other way to do it. I removed apps from my phone and social media shortcuts from my desktop. It seems that I will soon forget even their passwords. Despite all attempts by Facebook and Twitter to thwart me, I'm not going to let them do it.