Nowadays, it’s hard to find somebody who does not have some form of online presence. Between TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat, I feel as though everyone is somehow involved in this online universe. There are benefits to social media, such as connection, self-expression, and learning opportunities. Personally, TikTok is my favorite social media app. I find myself audibly laughing at videos, as well as finding recipes, making videos with my friends, getting song recommendations, etc. Do I spend too much time on it? Absolutely. Will I ever delete it? Absolutely not.Â
My feelings about Instagram are definitely not the same as TikTok. I have been on this app intermittently for about eight years. However, lately I have found myself in an endless loop of just opening the app, scrolling for just a few minutes, and closing the app, wondering what the point of it was. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good end-of-semester “photo dump” as much as the next person. I also love keeping up with my favorite sports teams (@marchmadnesswbb and @marchmadnessmbb have been flooding my feed). However, I felt like I needed a little break, so I deleted the app. I have done this for weeks and even months in years past, so it was nothing new to me. Here are some of the benefits I noticed from deleting Instagram this go around:Â
lESS cOMPARISON
I am very grateful and lucky when it comes to my everyday life. I have a good family, great friends, and a loving boyfriend. I love going to school at UConn and all the opportunities that come with it. However, every time I opened Instagram, I found myself looking at these pictures of other people, some of whom I didn’t even know. I found myself comparing their lives to mine. I know that Instagram is a highlight reel, but it is still difficult to think about it consciously when scrolling through everyone’s posts. After deleting the app, it was just my life that I needed to see, making me realize how unimportant it was to see the lives of all these people. I am content with my life. I do not need anything to decrease that feeling.
INCREASED SELF-ESTEEM
I know I am not unique in stating that I often have very low self-esteem and body image issues. Unfortunately, it is a reality that many girls and women face in their lifetimes. When I went through Instagram, I would get down on myself looking at all these people, mainly girls, posting amazing pictures of themselves or their friends. Some of these girls I knew, and some were Instagram models on my Explore page. Regardless of who it was, it never made me feel good about myself. Deleting Instagram allowed me to focus solely on myself, and it lessened the anxiety that came along with looking at other people. Mindless scrolling through pictures of people I barely even know contributed absolutely nothing positive to my life.Â
MORE TIME
Since the rise of TikTok, my Instagram screen time has decreased significantly. However, it was still taking up precious minutes and hours that could be used for something else, especially in the mornings and nights while I was still in bed. When I deleted the app, I found myself checking my social media less. I could use this time for things that I love to do, such as reading, walking, and watching TV shows. I quickly realized that working on my own life was far better than looking at someone else’s online life.
Overall, deleting Instagram truly alleviated an unnecessary negative in my life. Every time I opened the app, I found myself questioning, “Do I need to see this?” and the answer was almost always no. I recognize that social media can be addicting. I also realize that people want to share things that I do. I went on a few great trips last year and was excited to share it with the people around me. I also love the story feature where I can repost things that are important to me whether that is politics, UConn basketball, or something cool I saw. Overall, though, I found that the bad outweighs the good. If you feel anxious when you open Instagram, or you find yourself leaving the app feeling worse than when you opened it, maybe it is time to delete it.