A recent trend on the popular social media platform TikTok reveals that more and more people are quitting social media in favor of a truly lived life. Many content creators experiment with this idea, replacing the functions of their mobile phones with other devices, even if they’re more impractical.

For example, Eddy Burback, a prominent content creator on YouTube, acquired a film camera for taking photos, purchased a chest clock to serve as his morning alarm, and wrote on paper for regular small notes ― all so he could experience life again. What did the results show?

That technology and social media have made it slightly inconvenient for people not to use their phones for everyday tasks, but even in this case, living with fewer apps is beneficial for our well-being. But there’s a deeper insight into why young people are choosing to stay out of social media too much, so let’s learn about this growing trend.

The concern over personal data

We’re no strangers to how social media uses our data and sells it for marketing purposes. We’re suddenly overwhelmed with products and services that seem to answer specific concerns, even if we didn’t actively search for them. For example, Meta, the company owning Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, sends user data to multiple other businesses. Unfortunately, Meta has already gone through a lawsuit following the revelation that it offered access to millions of users to Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm.

And this is not the only case in which a massive social media company treats users’ data like simple numbers through which marketing campaigns can be settled. However, these occurrences can put people’s data and identity at risk, especially if businesses fail to balance cybersecurity with data privacy.

As a social media user, you should protect your account through various measures, including using a password generator 12 characters, which allows you to create strong passwords and access them at all times. Managing your passwords is crucial when you’re juggling multiple social media accounts, but also ensure the company you’re relying on has its privacy policies, data encryption, and data retention policies in place.

The lack of deeper connections

At its inception, social media was one of the best things the internet had to offer, allowing us to connect with people worldwide, access information in seconds, and explore new ideas. It was as beneficial during the Covid-19 pandemic, when people could only rely on these apps to keep in touch with friends or family, as well as receive telecare benefits.

However, staying too much on social media can lead to forming superficial relationships with people, as they may not always be their true selves online. This also applies to us, as we can act like anyone we’d like to be due to the shield that social media provides.

There is no emotional investment when communicating with people constantly through text, as we skip the steps of building trust, for example. There is also a lack of intimacy that created the trend of disposable relationships, as people only need to feel like they belong in the digital age.

The never-ending scrolling

Most social media apps, especially TikTok, are making it difficult to stop scrolling, as the algorithm is highly personalized, keeping us engaged with the content we see and encouraging us to view more without much consideration. AI language models are also advancing in crafting the perfect kind of content for every individual, as they use collaborative filtering and content-based filtering techniques to provide content based on previously posted content that people engaged with.

If you ever caught yourself scrolling for hours, you know how it feels. While the action activates the release of dopamine in the brain, and you feel good during it, now you feel like you haven’t accomplished anything and are even more disappointed in real life.

This is known as doomscrolling, as the mental effects include anxiety when we’re confronted with the world, and even the start of the “popcorn brain”, which happens when you get overstimulated. There are also physical effects to it, including muscle tension, difficulty sleeping, and headaches.

Should you quit social media?

The problem of quitting social media is that you might get back on track soon after doing it. That’s because replacing the massive amounts of dopamine your brain used to consume takes effort and planning. Replacing social media with activities like your favorite sport, going out with friends, or simply reading is much more difficult than it seems.

However, quitting has long-term benefits, including reduced stress, increased productivity, and improved sleep. Indeed, when you start this process, the first days might be quite anxious, as adjusting to a reality in which you don’t have to rely on social media to escape from boredom is a real challenge. But you don’t have to quit definitively.

How to stay less on social media

A break from doomscrolling is always a good idea, so here’s how to nail it:

• Decide how you’re going to reduce time on social media and plan the enforcement for time limits;
• Recognize the triggers that make you scroll and manage them (such as boredom, hunger, or anxiety);
• Limit or delete apps that are most tempting to use, but you can do it without deleting the accounts as well;
• Keep yourself accountable or ask for the support of a friend when you seem to dive in again;

Throughout the process, you can always reevaluate your options and return to point A, as long as this helps you feel better. Considering this is new for you, it’s also advisable to be more lenient with yourself and use the failures as an opportunity to learn more about yourself.

Final considerations

The generations that use social media the most are now logging off, so many Millennials and Gen Z choose to live offline for their mental health. Indeed, the risks of social media regarding data safety, the lack of meaningful connections, as well as the effects of doomscrolling are damaging in many ways, so you can counteract them by taking a break and enjoying real-world activities.