Why I chose social-isolation

Social media is the go-to place for everyone. From 3-year-old toddlers to septuagenarian parents, each one of them is found on one or more of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. The world is more connected than ever and modern times require such avenues. And yet, I decided to let it go.

My affiliation with social media began in 2013 when I first created a Facebook account. Over the course of the proceeding decade, I would post memes, gameplay, senseless poetry, and suicidal stories. It seemed fun. And then, I quit.

The first application to take the hit was Snapchat. Previously, Snapchat had been my go-to application for posting random bits of the day. Playing PUBG? Make a snap. Studying like a nerd? Make a snap etc. But after I passed my university entry test, I didn’t feel like making snaps. I felt that by sending snaps of my university, I would be showing off and would cause agony for my fellows who couldn’t make it to the University. This resulted in streaks being broken and since Snapchat is focused on Snaps, the account died a silent death.

The next victim was Twitter-now called X. Twitter was the service through which I would express my poetry. A bad CAIE exam merited some poetry. As did 3 a.m. thoughts. The poetry wasn’t good really. 4 word-sentences with the last word rhyming. A couple of outrageous tweets and some friendly banter with class fellows were other activities on the platform. But as distances grew from those who I teased, the need to tease diminished as well. Poetry could no longer express what I felt and time spent in crafting outrageous tweets found more productive uses. Hence, I relinquished it before Elon Musk took over.

Perhaps the bitterest of deaths was reserved for Instagram. Unlike Twitter and Snapchat, Meta’s Jewel was one that I used the most. It was a combination of all the other social media applications. Stories of in-game achievements were posted with some trending music, memes aimed at schoolmates were delivered, and chatting with the few friends that I had ensued. But soon, it was over. After a “betrayal”, details of which shall be available in my autobiography, I became disillusioned with the application. Instagram seemed nothing but a hub to flex wealth and display a lifestyle that was neither true nor practical. So I decided that instead of spending hours watching loathsome content and depress myself, I would utilize the time to find new destinations. So, I deactivated Instagram.

Almost a year on from my social blackout, things are decent. But they could have been better. I haven’t used Twitter since. But I occasionally download Snapchat to see how my fellows have been doing. After a few months, the Instagram account is reactivated, only to be regretfully deactivated a week later. Perhaps time shall make me more resilient to such cursed applications.

Since the person reading this probably has multiple social media handles as well, I would like them to ponder over a few questions. How much time do you “dedicate” to social media? What do you gain from doing so? And, perhaps most importantly, what do you lose this way?