I Tried 6 Days of Social Media Detox

Please submit your phones and let's talk!

Yes, indeed I tried 6 days without social media. 

As a girl that can't missed the updates from the pop culture, I admit I can't keep myself from social media. I don't want to missed updates from my favourite game, my favourite bands, my favourite authors, my favourite actors, upcoming films, upcoming cultural trends, and so on. Then, after so many days, I feel like my mood swing is very very very dangerous yet confusing whenever I opened my social media accounts.

whenever I gathered with my friends or my family, I scrolled down my social media feeds instead of initiating or even participating in a conversation. I found the "other world" was so much better than whatever happened in the present and I think that this is dangerous. I said to myself : there it is, you're addicted to social media. 

So, for instance, after I logged in, scroll here and there on my Instagram account, checking on people's stories - I feel mad for no reason. I feel stressed out. Furthermore, when I logged in on my Twitter, I feel like I want to throw my tantrum with no reason at all. Oh, I also feel soooo anxious whenever I logged in my social media accounts. I also feel exhausted with the feeling that I really have to checking out my accounts everytime, although I don't have to - I follow my guts to checking in my accounts and it's really exhausting. I tried to resist by doing my job, crocheting, reading or things - I always find a way to opened my social media accounts.  

What makes it worse is : loneliness. Although I have a lot of "friends" on my social media, I feel like I draw myself out from the people that I cared about in the real life. I feel this whenever I gathered with my friends or my family, I scrolled down my social media feeds instead of initiating  or even participating a conversation. I found the "other world" was so much better than whatever happened in the present and I think that this is dangerous. I said to myself : there it is, you're addicted to social media. 

I learned to be "present" after I do Yoga so many times. So if I can be "present" during my yoga session, why can't I do that in my everyday routine? I mean, if you waste your time to be sucked into a virtual world, what about your real world? What memories that you are going to cherish later? 

Without long debates with myself, I decided to be away from social media in order to reconnect with my inner peace and getting myself together in the midst of my busy city life. I announced on all of my social media accounts that I have to take some time to be offline (although some friends were missed the memo and DMed me on Instagram a lot hahaha), approximately for a week or more until Ant-Man and The Wasp released, which is July 5 or July 6.  Then, I remembered about my good 'ol university assignment : we have to give a report about three days without Internet. Inspired by this assignment, I re-enact the same thing. But of course, I don't need to submit this to my professor :D  

THUSSS, I jot down some fragments about my feelings on my diary. So, I re-write it to make a nice paragraph (and comprehensive for you) and here's the report for you! 

 • Day 1 - June 22, 2018 : I still have to sneakily opened my secret Instagram account and opened my Twitter via web without login. On the other hand, during the whole morning, I fully concentrated on both of my jobs : teaching and writing - which is unusual. 

 • Day 2 - June 23, 2018 : I have to go to Malang. I need to check things about my friend that is going to stay in the same hotel (she took over the whole check in thing so I have to make sure), so, I need to login and check her Instagram story. Then, I logged out as soon as I can. Furthermore, there's also a slight uneasy when I got my new My Chemical Romance's killjoys t-shirt and I need to update it. But hey, I resisted it and I enjoyed the whole trip until I reached Malang.

But hey, as you can see above, me and my sister were totally being silly in repping our favourite band's t-shirt. We take a lot of pictures - but we're not uploading it right away. We're just taking pictures (and tons of weird funny pictures that I'm not going to upload of cOurse hahah).

Is it a habit to have the urge to share our lives since the social media era came? There's also this feeling to take pictures of everything, in order to share it. Instead of sharing your time with strangers on Internet, why don't you share your time for yourself and loved ones? 

 • Day 3 - June 24, 2018 : Once I woke up, I straight to went for swimming and this time, I totally forgot about my phone. I didn't even remember where my phone was! When I was swimming, I totally enjoy the time - I didn't even have some anxiety to update. I felt so free for the first time. Although I'm slightly jealous when somebody took her phone with her in the pool and updating her story but I'm fine because hey, I'm not even worrying about my phone slides from my hand and get into the water? :D

I was totally enjoying my trip to Malang. I feel free that I don't need to care about what others do today and I completely forgot that I missed the updates about Sebastian Stan in Comic Con (I just remembered when I wrote this blog post though!). Anyway, when I waited something, instead of checking my phone, I resuming my crochet project and that's my sister sneakily taking pics of me when I crochetted!

I'M FREE AND I CROCHETTED!!!

 • Day 4 - June 25, 2018 : Again, the first thing that I did in the morning was not checking on my phone. I rolled out from bed - for real. After Yoga, working on some articles, and doing house chores, I finished season three of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D - yas! I wasn't bugged by popped up notifications of my social media and so on and I managed to finish it!

Then, I made a new journal template called "TV series tracker" to track which episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D that I left off. Oh! I also didn't complain on Twitter about my suck Wi-Fi connection and complaining about some bugs on my HOOQ account. About the bug, I solved that myself :D

 • Day 5 - June 26, 2018 : I still not checking on my phone as the first thing that I did in the morning. I also really focusing on more socializing and teaching. When I was waiting for the student to finish the task, I crochetted instead of scrolling on my social media accounts.

When the day was done, I have a short walk around the neighborhood with my sister and instead tweeting about my day, I told her about my day. Then, during the night, it's time to refreshing! (because tomorrow's the election day aka holiday!) I watched My Chemical Romance MTV World Stage without updating things - so I'm pretty much enjoyed it until finished without bothered by the urge to update. I also finished watching Every Day (I've been waiting for this movie because I LOVED the book! But ugh, the film isn't that mesmerizing) and Love, Simon. These are movies that I've been looking forward to watch but I don't have enough time. And I also finished TWO LONG ROWS of my crochet!

However... I sneakily check about Gerard Way, Frank Iero, and Mikey Way's updates from my sister's Instagram. 

 •  Day 6 - June 27, 2018 : I'm in fact TOO lazy to checking on my phone. The thoughts of having my social media back tomorrow got me so anxious. I don't want to feel sad or even anxious or even jealous when I see somebody's updates. Because we are all good in fiction - that's what I've learned from Jack Harries speech in the DO Lectures.

And during this day, I recognizing the urge to upload things. I upload something on WhatsApp stories. 

In conclusion, is it a habit to have the urge to share our lives since the social media era came? There's also this feeling to take pictures of everything, in order to share it. Instead of sharing your time with strangers on Internet, why don't you share your time for yourself and loved ones? 

Log out, see the world, and be present. 

log out and go for a swim! 

Today, I have my social media accounts back and I realized, I... need to uninstall it again because it's totally stressed me out :D

I didn't mean to hurt anyone.

Love love,
-Aya

Note : I supposed to do the Social Media Detox for about a week. But I miscalculate the days on my diary so... I actually want to resume the Social Media Detox though but I have a lot of things on mind about my #BeatThePlastic project. So, please anticipate it on my Instagram!