full image - Repost: I’m finally done (but keeping Instagram, really) (from Reddit.com, I’m finally done (but keeping Instagram, really))
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I think r/nosurf is about sharing, getting control of your time and overcoming addiction. So I decided to share my experience and next steps here.Here’s my journey: I’m on the internet and social media since I was 7 (I’m 29 now!). I went through Orkut (was a very popular social network in Brazil), MSN, Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, TikTok… I’ve seen everything. I think internet was one of the main reasons I struggled with depression on my teenage and early adult years.Twitter (now X) was my real and biggest addiction. I joined in early 2009, and after several and failed attempts, I finally was able to delete my account for good last year, and I don’t miss it at all. Almost 15 years in that social network. The thing with twitter is fucking FOMO. Everything happens first and faster there. You go a day without accessing it and it feels like the world is about to end and you have no clue about it.Instagram was another huge problem for me. Everyone is in there and it has a better and most trained algorithm on my tastes than TikTok (that one was easy to let go). Fucking reels. You pick up your phone, open Instagram and out of nowhere you spent hours watching stupid and short videos you don’t care about. It took some serious work, I knew deleting it right away wasn’t the best decision for me, so I limited the time I could use it and stopped following everyone I didn’t know (famous people, brands and fucking influencers) and everything that has nothing to do with my job. After a long time battling with it, I feel I could just delete it.But here’s the thing: I’m trying to make it as a freelancer engineer. It’s simply a matter of valuing my time and energy (the same way with leaving social networks). I get more money in a job I can do in a week than in a month working 8-5 for some company. I kind of need people to remind that I exist so I can get more jobs. I decided to do what’s right for me: keeping the app and setting my phone to only let me use it 30 minutes a day. It’s enough to post some stupid story so people remind that I exist and messaging someone. I don’t use it that much though. I know it sounds stupid, but it really happened sometimes. I post something silly, like a selfie with some friends, and then someone message me and after a talk, that little message turned into a job. Instagram is toxic as fuck, I don’t feel addicted to it anymore, but it became my LinkedIn.When I was detoxicating from Instagram reels, I went through a YouTube Shorts phase. I don’t really watch YouTube “normal videos” on small screens, so I just deleted the app. That easy. If I ever feel the need to watch a video on my phone, I could just watch it on the browser.I created my reddit account in one of my attempts of leaving Twitter. I don’t use it that much and I’m perfectly fine without it. So, this is my last reddit post. I won’t delete it now because someone may comment on this post and I may want to reply. But it’s good to know that I’m in control. For real this time.The only social stuff I have now are Instagram, WhatsApp that is a must, and Pinterest, if you count it that way. That one I don’t see myself deleting. It brings me joy, and I don’t spend much time on it. I don’t even have Spotify anymore, but that’s another conversation with a huge text.I know it isn’t the perfect “I deleted everything” post people want to see in here, but it’s my truth and what works for me. Being able to focus, accept boredom, study more, getting control of my time and life, actively reading and listening to music. Not spending more time than it’s necessary on my phone. Life is getting better.
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