The other day, I was reminiscing with my coworkers about the most ancient of artifacts: the family computer station.
Typically in the basement or living room, this area was enticing. It had Club Penguin and The Sims, taught you how to share with your family members, and allowed us to leave social media in one place.
Social media being stationary allowed us to explore our interests and interact with others more, and it allowed us to get creative with how we used it. We had to wait to upload photos, wait to send our friends links to Youtube videos, etc.
Lately, there has been such a focus on separating yourself from the masses and finding the next best thing. It has created an obscene amount of niche “aesthetics” in the pursuit of constant rebranding and doing anything to catch our attention. Social media has evolved from sharing fun memories to rapidly showcasing your marketability under a microscope. It is exhausting.Â
Also, if everybody is shouting about how different they are, are they actually that different?
Buying into “microtrends” and constantly trying to keep up with the next best thing isn’t sustainable for your wallet, your health, or the environment. Also, it’s a wee bit dystopian and reminiscent of the high class in The Hunger Games. We can’t ALL be Effie!
DISCLAIMER: I’m okay with trends. One of my many favorite pastimes is analyzing fashion trends. However, the rush of media and micro-trends is VERY hard to keep up with. I’m not hating on trends, I just have an issue with social media pushing trends that cycle faster than ever before. Fashion needs time to breathe and grow before disappearing to the archives!
Also, this is my record of the epic highs and lows of high school football de-influencing myself. I am NOT a professional, just a girl with an individuality complex and keen self-awareness. (Yes, I know that statement is ironic and hypocritical. I’m preaching to the preachers, blah blah BLAH! This makes me part of the problem… isn’t being aware so annoying?!)
The Steps I took instead of touching Some grass
- I broke up with the culprit (Social Media)
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The main goal of social media is to keep you engaged, which is why you are bombarded with what the algorithm thinks interests you (it’s been a lot of Glen Powell edits as of late…). The higher powers of Silicon Valley have turned social media into a billboard that dictates your interests when it was made to expand them and connect with others.
It is okay to take a break. You decide how and when to use social media, not the other way around.
I removed social media from all my devices, except for my ancient laptop from the eighth grade, which I keep in my apartment for the most part. Before I downloaded my apps onto my computer, I took a week-long break from social media.
Quitting Instagram cold turkey was hard at first, but by the end of my break, I realized that IG was doing more harm than good (Until recently, I’ve been comparing myself to the people I see on my feed for YEARS… this was a nice break).
- I did a deep dive in my closet
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I asked myself “Did you buy the item because you genuinely like it and it genuinely flatters you, or were you just following a trend?” If it no longer interested or flattered me, but was still in good condition, I donated it to a local thrift store or shelter.
If you have a knack for sewing and like the fabric (but not the cut), you can always flip the article of clothing into something new! I took a dress that no longer fit me in the top area and made a skirt out of it. I’ve cut t-shirts into tank tops that started getting too small on the arms. I found so many ways to reinvent the clothes I currently have.
Also, not having access to social media allowed me to come up with creative solutions on my own instead of finding a “hack” on TikTok.
- I went through my makeup and skincare
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I asked myself “Did you buy it because you saw influencers using it, or do you enjoy the product and what it does?” I spent an afternoon testing out some products I was a bit iffy on. If I didn’t like the formula, it washed me out, or any other potential issue, I got rid of it!
Unfortunately, makeup and skincare products are a lot harder to donate or give to a friend due to hygiene and sanitary concerns. Lucky for me, I gave it to someone who would enjoy the product and wouldn’t mind Kaitlyn cooties… my sister #wombtotomb.
Luckily, I didn’t fall for too many products, so I didn’t have that much to give away. Currently thanking myself for trying (heavy on TRYING) to budget this year.
- I started posting what I wanted
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Posting used to be AGONIZING because I was so worried about how good I looked. If I’m being honest, I was kind of worried about rejoining the masses.
However, as my frontal lobe spent more time slow-cooking, I realized that people do not care what I post. Where I see belly rolls or too big of a smile, they see me having fun at the beach or laughing with my bestie boos. True friends are going to enjoy the post regardless and share in the fun. I’d rather post my favorite memories than post times when I looked even better than I normally do.
As a quasi-journalist, I think it is important to be as transparent as possible. I got the idea for this article from an Instagram reel that the showed differences between strawberry girl and tomato girl makeup. As I was sitting there wondering wtf a tomato girl is, I realized that all these new aesthetics and looks getting churned out are the result of social media and the immediacy that is demanded, which is not cool.
I repeat, NOT. COOL. You lovely readers might be wondering “Isn’t how you got this idea in the first place ironic?”
YES! I WAS INFLUENCED TO DE-INFLUENCE!
Something needed to disrupt the cycle, so you might as well disrupt it where it starts. I do not have the platform to disrupt any cycles anytime soon. Until that happens, imagine me as a little speck on a rooftop with an industrial-sized megaphone shouting qualms with social media: political cartoon style.