Digital detox: reconnecting to the world

Over this last weekend, I turned off my social media and looked for inspiration in the world before me. It seems like we all have normalized living half in the present and the other half consuming fast-paced content. Scrolling to the next post before even fully comprehending the one before. Just like everybody else, I have fallen into the trap of social media. 

I decided to take a weekend to get off all my usual social media apps like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and X. I allowed myself only a few apps like messages, phone and notes to document my thoughts. In the past, my screen time has shown over four hours on social media per week.

The first thing I turned to once Friday began, and I had to log out, was my bookshelf. Reading is a hobby I’ve always wanted to be able to do more of. I am often too tired or so focused on my phone, I simply don’t see the book on my nightstand collecting dust. Over the weekend, I had so much time to read that I finished my previous book and got halfway into a new one. This way I got to accomplish something instead of all that time being devoted to doomscrolling. 

If I had to use one word to describe the feeling of not constantly consuming media in every moment of nothing to do, I would say “grounding”. Riding in the car, waiting for your food to be ready or commercial breaks during the football game are moments I would usually grab my phone and turn off my brain. Sometimes I even opened Instagram before realizing what I was doing and had to work on that habit. These moments are so important for reflection and checking in with yourself. Our attachment to social media is taking them away from us. 

The last main observation that I noticed during my detox was how checked out others get when they are lost in scrolling. Based on my own screen time, I can infer that I have been guilty of this too. Knowing that I was ignoring others due to my screen and unimportant filler content, is the biggest sign of dystopia. Living in the present and truly engaging with the people around you is vital to human living and community. 

My advice to anyone reading this would be to try it for a weekend. The world has completely switched to technology, so there’s really no running from it. I can promise though, that the experience will help you see what habits you need to improve and how much time you might be losing without noticing.