3 Effective Strategies to Cut Back on Instagram Use
Applicable to other social media platforms as well.
Social media is one of the biggest marks of our times. It started as an innovative way to stay connected, something we’ve all joined in somewhat tentatively, figuring it out and shaping it as we went. Now, we’re realizing that more than shaping it, we’re being shaped by it.
We plan what we’re wearing, where we’re going and what we’re doing once we get there based on how good it will look on a post.
We check our phones hundreds of times a day. We’re anxious and restless and our attention span has been shortened to mere seconds.
From articles about the slot machine-like attributes of these platforms (you never know what you’re gonna get) to blog posts on how social media notifications trigger the release of dopamine in our brains, keeping us hooked, there’s no shortage of warnings on how these platforms can negatively affect our daily lives.
And with one social media in particular, I felt it distinctly affect mine.
For years now, my relationship with Instagram has been that of an addict.
I would check it compulsively, anxious for anything new: new posts, new hearts, new messages.
I felt it take away precious hours of my life, making me distracted and unproductive at work. It came to a point where I had to do something about it.
Here are the essential (and most effective) steps I took to cut back on Instagram use:
1. Avoid posting — not even an innocent little “story”
As this Vice article explains, social media use “something called intermittent variable rewards.”
“The easiest way to understand this term is by imagining a slot machine. You pull the lever to win a prize, which is an intermittent action linked to a variable reward. Variable meaning you might win, or you might not.”
So, whenever you open Instagram (or any other social media), you’re essentially playing the slot machine, and in this context, getting hearts and likes and comments would be “winning.”
Here’s how you beat the slot machine (at least partially): you avoid posting at all costs.
I say it’s a partial win because checking social media is not only about getting feedback for your posts, but it’s also about seeing if your friends have posted anything new.
But if you remove one of the factors — not having posted anything removes the expectation that you’ll have feedback on your content — you’re already making it easier on yourself to stay away from the slot machine.
It’s also worth remembering: is it really anyone’s business where you’re at and what you’re up to? Privacy still feels pretty good, you know.
2. Unfollow people you can’t stand
As I reflected on my Instagram usage, I was dismayed by the conclusion that I would often check it only to see what some people I couldn’t stand were up to.
As humans, we derive a twisted pleasure from looking at people only to search for their flaws, and then use them to make us feel better about ourselves.
“She’s getting fat.”
“OMG, that outfit! What is that?”
“I’ve always said they were tacky, now here it is…”
And so on.
This kind of observations breed negativity in the most unhealthy way. We should never depend on putting other people down to feel better about ourselves.
So I went through my Instagram feed and unfollowed everyone I didn’t genuinely care about.
To my surprise, this simple measure has helped me cut down my urge to check the platform by a lot.
It’s a bit embarrassing to admit how much I used to check it only to find what to hate about other people, but once I’d come to terms with that dark side of my nature — and decided to fight it, my life has become a lot lighter.
3. Turn off your phone for a whole day
I tried telling myself not to check my phone as often, but it wasn’t enough. I lacked the discipline and self-control to simply not look at it.
But I realized one thing: if I didn’t have my phone so readily available, I wouldn’t look at it as much. So I decided to turn it off for a whole day.
It made sense that a day without my phone shouldn’t be a day I’d need it for work, so naturally, I picked a Sunday.
I let all the important people (close friends and family) know that my phone would be off, and if there was an emergency, to call the landline (yes, I know. A landline.I can feel your eyes going wide from the other side of the screen), and then I turned my cellphone off.
I had expected to still feel the urge to check my phone every ten minutes or so, but the fact that I knew it wouldn’t readily respond if I picked it up (it takes forever to turn on) did wonders to curb my desire to check it.
Not wanting to go through the trouble to turn my phone on allowed me to forget it for a day and fully concentrate on other activities, such as reading and writing. I ended up having a very productive Sunday.
The best part was that, the following Monday, the effects of the detox persisted. After phone-free Sunday, my urge to check Instagram fell by about 80%.
I had gone a whole day without checking it, and when I finally did, it was clear to me I hadn’t missed anything important. The same people were posting the same kinds of pictures they always had. There was nothing mind-blowing or incredibly entertaining. I had missed nothing of real value but the chance to waste my time scrolling through a feed filled with other people’s lives.
I had found a way to kill that fear of missing out: by missing out on all the unimportant stuff that went on while I wasn’t looking.
Now, when I feel the urge to check Instagram, I do my best to remember that I’m probably not missing out on anything, that there’s probably nothing really new or of actual value for me there. I sometimes fail, but it’s been working well enough.
Bonus strategy: you can always go cold turkey
If turning off your phone for a day isn’t enough, you can try a whole weekend, or you can go cold turkey for good and delete all social media apps at once.
I haven’t had the facebook app on my phone in a good while. I have considered deleting Instagram as well, but since the previous strategies have worked well enough for me, I haven’t felt the need.
To figure out what course of action to take regarding social media, you need to stop and evaluate your usage. Try to be mindful of how many times a day you pick up your phone and why you’re doing it. Is it for a specific reason? Are you mindlessly picking it up out of habit?
There are apps that track how many times you’ve picked up your phone in a day and add how many minutes you’ve wasted on it, Moment is one of them.
Giving it a go can be an illuminating experience.
In the end, it’s worth remembering that social media hardly ever reflects real life. Time is limited, is it worth spending it in front of a tiny screen?
