I pride myself in being an anomaly of my generation. I’ve never had avocado toast, I’ve never seen The Bachelor, and I hardly use social media–especially compares to the majority of my peers.
The latter fact, while true, is not a success in and of itself. “Less” may be better, but according to the GlobalWatch Index 2018 report, 16-24-year-olds spend more than three hours a day on social media. That is mind blowing to me; and it’s a statistic I don’t want to be anywhere near. Ninety-nine percent of the important moments in life happen outside a screen. I want to be there for them.
Here’s the thing: Social media is a great resource. But like anything, we can easily platform social media as an idol; the likes we get and the followers we gain can easily become barometers for self-worth. And when anything outside the gospel is dictating who we are and how we live, it’s a serious problem (RELATED: My Wi-Fi Free Life).
The Problem
That leads me to my problem, the problem I didn’t think was a problem because I wasn’t “as bad” as everyone else. I began to notice the problem this past winter, though. In my attempt to limit myself, I’d placed the Instagram app (my greatest weakness) inside an exclusive folder–two swipes from my main screen–aptly titled “ONCE A DAY ONLY!”
But I manage social media for College Park Church, so my fingers quickly memorized the new app location and I found it easy to quickly justify scrolling my feed whenever I checked the church account. “ONCE A DAY ONLY!” turned into twice a day, three times a day, and four times a day. Each dopamine-driven click on Instagram, and I was filling my brain with: (1) reassurance that I was worth attention and (2) reassurance that my life wasn’t as good or as put-together as everyone else. That tension created habit and the habit served to amplify my anxiety and discouragement.
The Challenge
So, I went dark. I took a week off social media. And while I had enough self-restraint to do the typical, “I’m taking a social media hiatus. See you in a week” social media post, I did myself wanting to tell everyone about my noble challenge. Having long ago deleted the Facebook app from my phone, I knew Instagram would be my most pressing temptation.
And I was right. When I was lonely, I found my finger hovering over the app. When I was stressed, I found myself imagining all the messages waiting for me on Instagram or Facebook (which, side note, were only like five by the end of the week. I’m not nearly as popular as I thought).
While I told my confidants that I was going to my YouVersion app whenever I wanted to go to Instagram, the truth is that I did that maybe 30 percent of the time. The other 70 percent, I idly stared off into space, wondering what the heck to do with myself.
By the end of my week, I was mentally refreshed and spiritually charged. I was also determined to do something with my newfound wisdom. I began by creating clear boundaries between my personal social media and my work social media. From there, I adopted a few basic rules to help myself stay accountable.
Why Write About It?
Here’s why I’m sharing this–on my blog and, ironically, on social media. It’s not so you can comment and tell me how great I am. Trust me, I’m not. Save your praise for Jesus. Rather, I’m sharing this to encourage us all to take a step back and evaluate how and why we are approaching social media the way we are. As I said, it is an incredible tool for connection, encouragement, knowledge, and creativity. But that’s only if we handle it with caution.
Ready for some tips? Read some of the specific rules I’ve laid out for myself that may be helpful for your social media usage. And leave a comment! Tell me what’s been beneficial for you and what’s been discouraging. Let’s come alongside each other because that, my friend, is one of the greatest advantages of social media. Let’s harness it. 🙂
Love,
Hannah
A Grateful Life Lived 
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