People used to brag about how a book was better than the movie, they didn't know anything about pop culture and they didn't own a tv. They now post about how quitting certain social media platforms have improved their lives.
"Being offline is trendy in a way being online once was."
"Deleting Twitter from my phone has definitely been a good thing for my brain," Alison B. also confided to Mashable in a direct message. "And I lerv to talk about it."
In a 2017 study, researchers found that people who used seven or more social media platforms experienced higher levels of anxiety.
Here are just a few of the benefits one writer experienced after quitting social media, in a piece confidently entitled, "14 Remarkable Ways My Life Changed When I Quit Social Media:"
- The writer has become a good listener
- The writer can live a life without distractions
- They don't procrastinate
- They found a job
- They found their life's purpose
- The writer has found inner peace
I've taken breaks from social media before and my experiences were largely "meh to above meh." I missed sharing my corny vacation highlights with my friends on Instagram. Reading a shitty book was not much better than reading a shitty article I found on Twitter. My relationships didn't markedly improve after I quit social media, and though I got more sleep, it wasn't a dramatic increase.
How a vacation and a digital detox app helped cure my iPhone addiction
Life was passing me by as I hunched over a tiny screen for six or seven hours a day. A screen that I seemed to deem more deserving of my time and attention than my nearest and dearest family members. I needed an iPhone detox. But, first, I needed to look up from my screen.
The rules for the detox were straightforward and simple (in theory):
- Spend fewer than two hours per day on my iPhone.
- Upload my Instagram story and then exit the app within 10 minutes.
- Delete Slack.
- Scroll through Twitter once a day.
- Send Snapchats to streaks only.
- Desist from using games and dating apps.
At night, I put my phone to charge on the other side of the room from my bed. I took a book, rather than my phone, to breakfast and lunch. I switched off mobile data. I connected to WiFi once or twice a day. I deleted Slack and I didn't miss it. I scarcely looked at Twitter and on the few occasions I did, it bored me. I sent snaps to keep my streaks in order and I didn't hang around. I tried (and struggled) to keep my Instagram time to a minimum. I estimated that I spent around roughly one hour per day on my phone, usually half an hour in the afternoon and half an hour during the evening.
But, though I might have won the battle during my vacation, I knew I'd have a full-scale war on my hands the moment I returned home.
Just as predicted, during my first weekend back in the UK, I was spending anything between four and six hours on my iPhone a day, which I would calculate by looking at Settings > Battery > Battery Usage. My self-control, it seems, had been left behind in Zanzibar.
A recent study found the average millennial spends 3.2 hours a day on their smartphones. The study—conducted by market researcher Kantar TNS— of over 60,000 internet users from 50 countries found that people aged between 16 and 30 spend around 22 hours a week, and 49 days a year on their smartphones.
But, on a grander scale, this made me realise just how much I rely on my phone for practical life admin things. My phone gets me out of bed in the morning, it tells me which train I need to get, it helps me find dates.
One recent report published by the Association for Psychological Science looked at the recent rise in depression and suicide in adolescents, and found that teens who spent more time on smartphones were "more likely to report mental health issues" than those who spent more time on "non-screen activities" like sport, and socialising. Another study found that excessive nighttime smartphone use in young people was causing chronic sleep deprivation, which was negatively affecting their academic success.
With a little help from this app, I've managed to keep my holiday iPhone detox going for two weeks. And, I plan to keep it that way. My screen time is currently skirting around the two hour mark, but I'd like to try to reduce that.
Overall, I've noticed that I feel significantly less anxious. I have less trouble getting to sleep at night, and I feel better rested every morning. During a trip to visit my parents, my mother spotted a marked difference in my wellbeing, and told me I seemed significantly happier and more relaxed.
While my screen time isn't too bad during the week, it appears that my usage creeps up a little on weekends and edges a little bit too close to the three-hour part. This is something I'll need to keep a watchful eye on, too.
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