Why I Stopped Using Social Media.

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This is coming from a girl who used to spend 8 to 9 hours on her twitter and tumblr accounts, doing nothing all day but follow fandoms and live an ordinary stereotypical life. I wasn't aware of I what I was doing at that time, and perhaps it was my only exit to stray away from boredom.

I officially deactivated my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts when I was almost sixteen year old, and I say it had been three years without them. Am I dead yet?

 I am actually living.

Yes, there are times when it's peculiar to be the only one in a group of people not to know the latest celebrity news or new fashion styles. But to me, these kind of things are immensely insignificant. Social media proved to be successful to damage a part of my teenagehood by introducing me to unrealistic beauty standards which led me to compare my life with others. I started questioning how I looked like, the clothes I had, the life I was living. Everything was not enough, and it opened up a door to some issues that left an impacting effect on my welfare.

Here is a list of the reasons why I stopped using social media.

1. I have more time for more useful things.       

  Since my phone doesn't have any social media apps, it saves me a few hours to do something productive, like read health articles, watch guitar tutorials and research on fields I am interested in. Not to mention the online courses I started and learned a lot from, as well as giving me the time to actually be creative and start writing a book, some poetry and blog posts.

2. It helped me avoid comparing myself to others.      

I still do that, to be honest, but less frequently than before. I'm not exposed to weird beauty standards as often even though it's taking me time to get rid of them completely. I also don't compare my life to others, and that helps me tremendously because I do live a quite different life compared to people my age. I know that seeing my friend's pictures hanging out  on Instagram or any other account could lead me to feel less grateful and isolated. But I don't have to bother with that too much now, and it's helping me lavishly.

3. I read more. 

Instead of picking up my phone, I pick up a book and it's one million times more impacting than following trends and filling up my head with unnecessary information. Reading helps me develop my English and deepen my imagination and I'm instantly affected positively by the books I read, whether they are novels or even non-fiction.

4. I am not exposed to news. 

News alienates me in all ways possible because I can immediately sense bias and subjectivity in reports, no matter what news agency it is. Personally, reading news exposes me to a lot of negativity that I'm helpless about, because I cannot do anything to change the worldwide spread of terrorism, poverty and disease. Those phenomena exist, and by my individual conscientiousness, I will be able to defeat them. I believe that cluttering my mind with so much events is unnecessary, especially when I've got that tendency to take everything personally. 

5. I am able to be myself. 

Liberating myself from stereotypes has helped me lavishly in building my character and realising who I really am. I no longer have to follow people's interests and popular trends, but create and discover my own. I am not channeled towards a particular theme or lifestyle, and it's easier to accept the things I already have and the opportunities before me. This way, I'm more mindful and aware of the happenings of my life, without having to consider any standards.

6. I have deeper relationships with people. 

Something I am not truly good at it is having superficial relationships with people. I'm not your friend if I'm not having deep, soulful conversations with you. Deactivating all of my social media accounts (well, except for snapchat) allowed me to choose my acquaintances carefully, and develop long-lasting relationships with them based on who they truly are. I consider it a boon since I'm not talented at dealing with too many people.


On the other hand, social media can be truly beneficial. But to someone like me, I'm better off without it. I must admit that there is some inspiration in the media nowadays but sometimes, it's difficult to be selective because media is such a powerful tool to alter your mindset towards particular issues. Personally, it is better for me to find my own inspiration in my own life and opportunities through travel, numerous experiences and so on. That doesn't mean I don't watch YouTube or Instagram accounts, I have a couple bookmarked on my browser and I only do so when I'm in need for an extrinsic motivator to spark me up a little. 

Everyone has a right to find their own balance and I know that perhaps one day, I'll build up a stronger identity that could be more aware of how to utilise social media effectively. I believe in social media as a tool to actually aid the society in so many different ways; by raising awareness, spreading positivity and perhaps making others feel beautiful.

All I know is that it's not my time yet, and I'm glad I'm able to tolerate the emptiness I sometimes feel being away from all the worldly happenings. But it's all for the best, and it's everyone's right to choose what we think appropriate for our lives and souls.

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