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How do you curb social media use?
If you do try to cut back on social media, what do you do?
Personally, I found myself using Instagram too much without any benefit. It mostly led to me comparing other people's life highlights to my every day.
This led to a lot of self-depreciation, self-doubt, etc.
I tried a couple of things like a social media cleanse, setting time restrictions, etc, but always found myself in the same old habit.
The best long-term solution I found was keeping my account, but deleting the app from my phone and just using it on my laptop.
This helped with the FOMO aspect that I know I had, but it also VASTLY curbed my usage. The Instagram web version is boring. It isn't quick to pull me into watching Reels, something that I thought I would watch 1-2 of but then quickly found myself engulfed in for an hour.
Instagram was easily my biggest time-waster social media-wise, what's yours? And do you have any tips for people like me who were using it way too much?
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Amie Finlayson
Get a Kindle. You get similar gratification through seeing how long until the end of chapters and the percentage you are through the book, as well as you're using a device that you need to 100% focus on so you can't use your phone at the same time.
I further disabled my public IG and started a new private one with only my closest friends. I don't feel the need to check to see how many likes/views I have (because it will only ever be the same small group) and I only see the content of my closest network.
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@amiefinlayson Thats great! I actually bought a kindle and found it collecting dust cause I didn’t like the note taking abilities vs using it on my phone… which obviously leads to using other apps. Going to have to give it a try again.
As for making a new Instagram, definitely wish I did that vs clearing out my followers and following manually.
Delete the apps.
It really just comes down to mindset. I personally strongly dislike Facebook, Zuckerberg, and all the surrounding companies, so deleting my accounts and not looking at it wasn't so hard a couple years ago now... and don't miss it.
With TikTok I never wanted to use a product that a foreign government (China) was attached too (as an American). The way the Chinese profile their citizens concerned me years ago already and I didn't want to be put into that system if I could avoid it. The propaganda and brain washing available once they profile you through your data really concerns me.
Long way of saying, if you disassociate the product and reflect on if it is truly making you happy or wasting your time while you compare your life to faked ones, then it starts to get easier to break the habit.
@joseph_natoli I also found myself taking a step back and analyzing what the gains and losses were from each product. Gains, were a way of connected with old-friends/current friends on a different channel that they might be more active on. Cons, just copious amounts of time wasted what not.
Deleting the apps help. I’ve heard grayscaling your phone makes them less stimulating.
i joined this disccusion just to get inspired haha. Big social media user here :D