Why Social Media Cleanses Do Sweet FA
Do the work or forget about it.
When I see or hear someone undertaking a social media cleanse, my eyes instantly roll to the back of my head.
A social media cleanse (firstly, the word “cleanse” — ugh) refers to users taking time off by logging out and/or deactivating their social media accounts, such as Facebook or Instagram, and even removing the app from their phone and desktop completely.
From what I can ascertain, as I’ve never felt the need to do this myself (plus, I work in social media which makes it difficult!), social media cleanses generally last a week or so, longer if the person is brave enough.
They’re commonly brought on by overuse and have a negative impact on mental health, although it could extend to physical and emotional health too.
What bugs me so much about social media cleanses is the vapidity of it. Few I know or that I have seen supposedly do a social media cleanse act any differently on their return to endless scrolling and posting. An unapologetic amount of selfies return, countless Stories are posted, and tagging friends in memes feels like it was never given up. There’s an ironic vanity that social media cleansers will always return to social media to ensure they’re visible to their followers.
It seems like social media cleanses intensify the desire, the need, to share on social media. Granted, this is exactly why these platforms exist but herein lies the guilt of spending too much time (or more so, wasting time) on the apps.
And let’s not forget about FOMO! If you’re not on social media, are you really in the loop of understanding what is happening in the cultural zeitgeist? God forbid you to miss a trending meme, new product launch or buzzy restaurant opening.
Perhaps “cleansing” yourself of social media makes room for more important things: spending quality time with the people around you, hearing real news stories, and appreciating the little things. Ah, pre-social media existence.
Do you really want to “cleanse” yourself of social media? Here’s how to do it better:
Curate your feed constantly
Actively unfollow people that do not provide anything of value, namely influencers and celebrities that promote unattainable and unrelatable lifestyles and achievements (and make you feel rubbish about yours). This can also include family and friends who spout negativity or make you feel bad about yourself in any way. The mute or unfollow options are always there to help. Use them.
Recognise your usage behaviour
Keep an eye on how long you spend mindlessly scrolling or how often you pick up your phone when distracted. If you’re bored and are reaching for your device for no reason, recognise it. Track how long you spend on apps or set time limits. Lucky that some apps (Instagram does) and our devices can often do this for us now.
Given that I work in social media from Monday to Friday, my phone can often find itself left in another room on weekends because I’m so over it. I’ve noticed that I need to do this sometimes to take a break and it’s fine!
Be realistic
The idea of doing a social media cleanse in 2022 is almost laughable. Sure, there are plenty of people that could or do manage without it, but be realistic about whether that’s you or not.
