Why Everyone Needs A Social Media Detox

As social media users continue to grow, many Ole Miss students and faculty are realizing the pressure that these sites can have on their lives. People all over the country are going on “detoxes” by deleting their accounts for a certain period of time to gain perspective.

Modern Family Star, Sarah Hyland, made headlines when she announced on Tuesday that she will be taking a break from social media after facing backlash after her cousin was killed by a drunk driver.

“You guys finally did it,” wrote Hyland on her social media. “Your horrible negative, ignorant words have broken me. Happy?”

Hyland is just one of the many celebrities, such as Ariana Grande and Ed Sheeran, that have taken a break from social media.

The University of Mississippi counseling center has helped numerous patients who are victims of cyberbullying, anxiety and sleep deprivation. Caelyn Ditz, a staff counselor at the Counseling Center, believes that taking a break from social media can be beneficial to a patient’s mental health.

“Social media can be very consuming to students and can also be a major source of stress,” said Ditz. “Students have reported that they view photos or post from others and compare oneself to these idealized versions of others. As this can be a time-consuming activity, it may take time away from friends and academics.”

Freshmen women spend nearly 12 hours a day engaged in some form of media use, whether it is texting, music, the internet, or social networking. Research found that these forms of media can cause lower grade point averages, according to a new study published by sciencedaily.

“Limiting one’s use of social media has been useful and practical with several students,” said Ditz. “Some students have reported feeling less stressed or limiting their time spent comparing themselves to others after they have limited their use on social media.”

Women are reported to be more stressed then men. According to a recent survey published by the Pew Research Center, Twitter is a contributing factor because it increases their awareness of other people’s stress.

Taking a break can allow time for other activities that can better serve a student’s mental health wellness, but this can be difficult for a patient to follow through, according to Ditz.

“Recommending or expecting that students will take a strict hiatus is often difficult to gain acceptance and follow-through,” Ditz said. “It is always important to work with the student toward their specific goals and support them in making changes as they are motivated by willing to work toward.”

Emma McCade, a senior at Ole Miss, decided to delete her social media accounts for two weeks because she felt that she was becoming sucked into a world that did not feel like reality.

“Social Media can make people constantly feel like you are being compared to other people who seem to have it all,” said McCabe. “It was a good feeling disconnecting because then I didn’t see people’s post of parties or events I wasn’t invited to. I usually feel left out but social media sure does a good job of making you feel uninvited sometimes.”

Not only was she able to relax but McCabe said that deleting her social media accounts made her more productive.

“I mostly spent my time reading and doing tasks on my to-do list because I wasn’t wasting my time mindlessly scrolling through social media apps,” McCabe said. “By not having the constant distraction of checking social media I was able to concentrate on living in the moment and get my task done.”

Anxiety Disorders are the most common mental health disorder in the United States. Testing has shown that too much exposure of social media sites can cause depression, impulsive disorder, paranoia, and loneliness according to the Anxiety and Depression association of America.

“Social Media apps really contribute to my anxiety because sometimes seeing other people’s post make me feel like I don’t measure up in my own life and by freeing myself from that, I knowingly worked to improve my anxious feelings.”

According to a recent study 71 percent of Americans sleep with or next to a mobile device and 55 percent more teens were sleep deprived in 2015 than in 1991, according to mediakix.

“I slept much better on my social media detox because I wasn’t checking my phone before bed,” McCabe said. “I was more relaxed and able to fall asleep more naturally.”

During her social media detox, McCabe became more aware of the hold social media has on her and her friend’s lives.

“I felt more connected to my family because i had more time to pick up the phone and call them instead of unknowingly wasting time on Instagram and Twitter,” McCabe said.

“When I wasn’t on social media, but my friends were, I was much more perceptive of how much time people spend on their phones for no reason,” said McCabe. “It was so frustrating. I wanted to tell them to put their phones away so we could spend time together.”

Webb Lewis, the digital content manager at the University of Mississippi, says his job with social media consists of two main aspects.

“I create content based on news stories we are pushing, our events that are coming and some standard promotional posts,” said Lewis. “I also monitor our channels for both negative and positive feedback and engagement.”

Because his job is extremely involved in social media for the University, Lewis has noticed a decline in his personal social media accounts.

“I’m constantly monitoring our channels, so flipping to my personal channels takes a back seat,” said Lewis.

Lewis believes that there are always times when it is not best to engage in social media, even for the University’s accounts.

“We love engagement, but we will not get into an argument with someone via social,” Lewis said. “I do not chase trolls and don’t see any upside to doing so at all.”

McRae Young hosted a talk titled “Social Media: It’s effect on recruitment and your future” at Farley Hall on November 27th. Young is the Honor Council Chair for Ole Miss law and President of Dean’s Leadership and of the Animal Defense Fund.

Young is currently on what she calls a “semi-detox,” which she considers to be scrolling through social media accounts without posting anything herself.

“Sometimes life is overwhelming enough as it is without feeling the need to share the best parts online,” said Young. “It’s been really refreshing to take pictures with only myself in mind, not worrying about getting that perfect Insta. That’s ended up with 99% of my camera roll being pictures of my dog, which always makes me super happy to scroll through!”

Students should realize that posting online is more than the short term gratifications, according to Young.

“Posts can come back to haunt you in so many ways,” Young said. “Employers may be hesitant to hire someone who took pictures with a beer in their hand while they were underage. Someone going into the public eye will have their Twitter feeds scrutinized all the way back to the beginning. Even if you just “like” or repost something, that can seriously come back to haunt you later.

Young believes that social media can effect her productivity because it can distract her from what is important.

“I know I feel so uncomfortable in my own skin whenever I inevitably find myself in this scenario, which is pretty anxiety-inducing,” said Young. “There can be incredibly unrealistic expectations put out there for the world to see, and it is important to remember that success looks different for every person.”

Social Media sites make more than half of their users feel inadequate. According to a recent survey, 18–34 year-olds said that social media makes them feel unattractive.

According to Young, standards set by social media are impossible to meet.

“Trying to conform to those standards set by people presenting their best, and sometimes unrealistically portrayed, selves online will just set you up for failure because they are actually impossible to meet.”

“Social media can be a great thing when used responsibly,” Young said. “People should not underestimate the affect it can have, positive or negative on their own lives.”