Just like that, it’s January again. Everyone has come out with their resolutions or goals for this coming calendar year. Whether your list is 3 items or 30 items long, I hope you achieve whatever it is you’re setting out to tackle this year.
A few things on my list include reading more books, complete a 3-4 day backpacking trip, visit and photograph the West Quoddy Head Lighthouse (at night), among other things.
But for me, the biggest item on my list is changing how I use social media. Instagram to be exact. I find myself mindlessly scrolling through the discover page, comparing myself to others while consuming lots of empty content that had been re-posted from TikTok or Facebook, and to put it simply: I’m overstimulated.
The second thing I don’t like about the app has to do with their new terms of service. Specifically, the parts that have to do with a user’s privacy and how using the app grants them permission to access data such as text messages. And while I have nothing to hide, I enjoy and value my privacy.
Now I could just simply delete the app off my phone, but I don’t want to stop sharing with my audience. There are people out there, strangers and friends alike, who keep coming back to see what I’m up to. And that’s super cool to me. Also, my part-time gig is managing a business’s social media platforms, so deleting the app entirely isn’t an option at this point in time.
My solution is simple, use my previous iPhone as a social media phone. This way I’ll be using a phone that’s been wiped of any personal information, I can pack it away when I want to be off of the socials, and I’ll still be able to use it when I have a wifi connection. I can also be more cautious about the number of hours I’m on the app. If it’s not always on my person, there’s less of a chance I’ll slip into those 10-20 minute pockets of browsing that happen throughout the day.
I think these boundaries will be good. I bet my sleep will improve as well as my productivity. It’s amazing how many hours a day I lose to screen time so I can’t wait to see what I create using those hours for me rather than mindlessly tapping and scrolling on Instagram. And don’t worry! I don’t plan on being totally disconnected. I’ll still be active, posting and sharing with you all.
That’s all for now!
Cheers!
-M