Take A Break

 

Take a Break

 

            Social media is a important influence in todays world. It has impacted everybody in some way all around the world whether it has been in a positive or even a negative way. Sometimes it can be too much and can lead to some social anxiety, mental health issues, or even stress. Erik Oliver gives some ideas and challenges to help people that are addicted to their phones to get rid of this addiction. One challenge he proposes caught my eye and is called the “delete the app” which is when the user deletes the app completely for a little bit and see how they change without the interactions of the social media app.

Why would I delete it?

            I have heard some people deleting their social media apps and have tested this challenge and have only heard good comments about it. I have heard people try this and say they never realized how addicted they were to the social media app and feel they have relieved their anxiety or social anxiety because they have separated themselves for the platform. People have bad experiences on social media because of posts that are made fun of from other people out there or just see negative posts. Social media can feel dictating for users and seem like they are trying to have viewers see it one way and dictate how they view scenarios. As a result, this leads to social media users having mental health problems. One answer to this is to delete the app itself.

Benefits

            There are a few benefits of deleting social media for a couple weeks or even permanently. One benefit is understanding that you do not need social media in order to maintain a healthy life or social status. I believe people feel they need to have a strong social media presence because it leads to a strong social status. When deleting social media you begin to understand there is more to life then social media and become more social through face to face interaction instead of talking through text. The second benefit from deleting social media is the relief that is brought from worrying about posting and what others have to say about what you have posted. There are some nasty things that are said on the internet and social media has no exception. Social media can have negative effects by causing harm to other users by attacking others for being themselves. This is the main reason people are stressed about social media because they feel they can be attacked or made fun of for just trying to be themselves and what makes them happy. Deleting the app prevents from the people that have the need to ruin other peoples enjoyment on social media platforms. When deleting the app you begin to enjoy the positivity from people that are surrounding you which leads to a better state of mind. This benefit helps out the people that are worried about what others have to say about what is posted and struggle with mental health issues that may be caused from social media. The final benefit of deleting social media is the end of an addiction. People become addicted to the need of checking their phone because they get a notification and feel they need to see what it has come from. People also become addicted to mindlessly scrolling through social media feeds to pass the time or just because they have nothing to do and helps them feel like they are accomplishing something. When deleting the app it begins the process of getting rid of the addiction of needing to constantly check the phone to see nothing has changed since the last time you checked it five minutes ago.  

Conclusion 

            I believe deleting social media can benefit people who have problems with social media whether it is addiction, social problems, or anxiety. Deleting social media can help realize people do not need it as much as the world makes it seem like. Social media has dictated the structure of society because of how many users it has and how easy it is to post anything that is wanted. Give this a try if you catch yourself with any of these problems then delete social media even if it is only for a week and find the benefits that come with it to find your true self.