a year off social media // experiment

sustainatives
Dec 1, 2019
4 min read

Updated: Dec 28, 2020

as a 23rd birthday gift for myself, I am deciding to have a year off social media.

I contemplated deleting most of my accounts (Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, old Lunarwildling blog), but after some reflection realised that was coming from a fear-based place; I was scared I’d fail otherwise. I was scared the temptation would be too strong. That I would find it too hard to space myself away from these platforms.

Lunarwildling 'Goodbye Instagram' Post — old Lunarwildling post

Old Lunarwildling Social Media detox post — An even older Lunarwildling post

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This Year’s Birthday (23rd):

Clarify ‘why’
Set intentions and boundaries
Where am I at with social media and tech use at the moment
Log out and delete apps or saved passwords
Send out messages to relevant folks

Why:

I then realised that I’m doing this out of curiosity: what is life like without social media?

Will ‘missing out’ on what’s going on in the world through these platforms/other people’s lives actually hinder my own experience?

Where will this feeling of wanting to express my journey go?

Where will I channel my creativity? What medium will I use? Music? Writing? Body movement?

What will I learn in the 12 months about using social media in a wholesome and nourishing way?

And the biggest question of all: what will enter my life when/if I shift this energy? Clarity? Trust in the abundance? Freedom? A deepening of self love?

These questions I’ve been asking myself over and over again. I feel it’s time to pack my satchel and go on an inward (and maybe outward too) exploration. It’s exciting, it’s scary, freeing, daunting, liberating and debilitating all at once.

Intentions and Boundaries:

So. What doest this mean right now?

I will keep my sharing platforms but won’t be active on them. This means searching, scrolling, watching, posting, interacting with others I will give people an alternative way of getting in contact with me

The rest- I will have to find out as I go.

I will make intentions as I go, but also be flexible for them to shift as my journey evolves.

For example:

Logging on/downloading the app/looking through web versions (i.e Instagram) is a definite no

BUT

Searching the web through Google/Ecosia is okay

Facebook, Instagram, Blogging, YouTube, Pinterest: all of these will be put on hold.

With the exception of YouTube: I can use if for learning (i.e. for expanding my knowledge on a concept) or for my health and well-being (Yoga flows- Yoga with Adrienne) but not watching YouTuber’s weekly/regular uploads, or uploading myself.

This is to be used with intention and mindfulness. Each video is watched with my ‘why’ fully present.

Where am I at with social media and tech use?

Right now my relationship to both is a lot better than it used to be. But this nagging feeling is still present, and after a few days worth of reflection I decided to honour this curiosity and give it a chance to be explored.

When I use technology I am aware that it’s taking time away from the people around me. It is connective to like-minded people online, but it’s not worth it if I’m not present to my family, partner and friends.

Relationships are built and nurtured through showing up, not hiding away from them.

I am learning to let those around me know I will be focusing on the screen for an amount of time, and to put the intention to focus on the task I’m doing. Multi-tasking is put away.

This is about presence (I’ll be doing such and such for this hour and I’ll be with you completely outside of this) and not just about efficiency (“let’s see how much I can do in this hour”). I’m not 100% focused on people in the room if I’m on the screen, and vice versa.

Personally, I feel it best to make the intention of setting aside a specific amount of time I’ll be using tech, with some room to go beyond it if I happen to be in flow with the work I’m doing. Otherwise it’s screen down and away.

As for social media- I am learning.

To use it as a sharing platform. As a resource. As an inspiration board.

But I still get sucked into mindless scrolling.

Into comparing myself to other’s journey’s, even if a huge part of me is cheering them on for living their life to the full.
Into other people’s stories, slowly forgetting my own and getting lost in the image and identities.
Into searching for validation and confirmation externally instead of turning inwards and discovering the answers to all my questions are already here.
Into negative thought patterns (“why don’t I have that?” Or “they’re life is so much better than mine”).

I still edit my photos. Get stuck in the ‘aesthetic matters’ mindset. Fussing over little details. Making sure my content is of good quality. Filling up my digital storage space with images and videos I will probably never share. Not saying any of these are wrong, but at this stage in my life these actions feel more toxic than they are nourishing.

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I acknowledge this isn’t everybody’s journey.

Some people seem to be able to use technology and social media with ease and clarity. I guess this story is for the people who are also asking the same questions as I am.

If you are, please let me know. I’d love to connect and hear your story.

Next Year’s Birthday (24th):