In this digital age, the connection between humans and social media has become increasing remarkably. We rarely see anyone around us who doesn’t use these platforms. Young people, obviously, can not be ruled out of this. However, some people have decided to quit social media and delete their accounts during this hot time. 

There are probably many reasons for their decisions, which can come from different factors. But, many of them also say that their lives are getting better after quitting. What do you think of this act? Are you having the same intention? Do you agree that life will be better after quitting all social networks?

Before we can assess if your life is possibly getting better or not, we first need to look at its impacts. There are always pros and cons to an issue. You may have read a lot about the negative impacts of social media on people. But, it also has some good points that are useful to us. That’s why we need to understand whether these impacts do good or bad for your life. 

A look at the effects of social media

Good

The good points of social media must be the reasons why many people are getting addicted to it. We can spend hours surfing TikTok and Instagram because there are so many entertaining and hilarious videos retaining our attention. Not only that, we can also learn a lot of new knowledge, tips and tricks from other content creators. 

Compared to the previous generation, we really have a better chance to access a huge source of knowledge just through a 30-second video on our small screen. Instead of reading books or simply studying at school, we are now able to learn, approach and observe from the sharing of other people. 

Moreover, social media helps us to stay connected with our friends, families and colleagues. Just through that little screen, we can send a message, make a call with our loved ones and nurture important relationships. Additionally, social media plays the role that brings unity and helps us engage as a community. 

You must have definitely seen many social campaigns and events taking place on social media. A few typical examples like Black Lives Matter, COVID-19 and recently the Ukraine-Russian war. Social platforms are like a bridge to help people raise their voices, stand up for others and support the right things. 

Bad

Regarding the bad points, these may be the major factors determining people’s decision to quit social media. First, these platforms can cause depression, anxiety and gradually lower one’s self-esteem. These mental health issues can potentially happen when you use it excessively. The cause can be that people show off too many of their best moments with little mention of life’s failures. 

This generally somehow affects the way others see things, lose their original goals, and consider other people’s lives a benchmark. Gradually, this leads to increasing jealousy and pressure. With a desire to create a perfect life on social media, they gradually lose themselves and become too immersed in the virtual world. In the long run, they become severely “positive” with social media addiction. 

Moreover, some people even fake their lives to get more likes and admiration from others. This is one of the reasons that makes people disappointed when what they see from their connections is all unreal. What they expect is a social platform where people interact as a real person. 

Being over-addicted to social media can also lead to disorders in physical health. It can be listed as sleeping and eating disorders, poorer eyesight, back pain, etc. 

How is life after quitting? 

As many people have decided to quit social media, let’s see how their experiences are and how their lives have been changed. 

Positive side

Regarding the positive side, many of them have announced that they feel better relieved and have more time to concentrate on themselves. They no longer have to think about “noises” like others’ dramatic stories or scandalous issues of celebrities in their head anymore. Instead, they feel more liberated and free than before. 

Things like depression and pressure are also mitigating. This is because they spend more time on healing and improving their mental health. instead of being unhappy with their own life when seeing people do amazing work efficiently all the time, they made decisions to avoid that possible negative source.   

They also stated that thanks to social media quitting, they work more productively and are less distracted. They have been able to focus on their work for hours without updating any social platforms. Importantly, they have more time to follow their goals, dreams and hobbies such as traveling, reading, exercising and etc. 

Negative side

However, there are also some people saying that quitting social media leaves them uncomfortable and having some sense of FOMO (fear of missing out). They always feel restless because they don’t know how the world is going while they are not present. 

Besides, since this is a digital age, many people think that they are somehow disconnected and isolated from others. It is like they are being cut off from the online community. 

From the above expression, it seems that they are so dependent on social media and possibly reach the addiction level. It explains why quitting social media has been such a challenge for them. This might take a while to completely get over it.

Best advice

All in all, it is your choice to decide whether to quit social media or not. It is your life and you choose what is right for you. There might be different scenarios for each person. 

If your job must be on social media but you are exhausted of it, just take a break or set a daily time limit. After finishing your work, get away from these platforms and spend only time for yourself to relax and rest. It is completely understandable that this is the digital age and you cannot decide to leave. So, it is better to balance your time on social media and real life.

However, if you still decide to say goodbye to social media, it is still a good choice to make. Life does not have much change like you thought. But the point is, you have more time to work on yourself and cultivate your life. There have already been a lot of people saying that they are truly enjoying and feeling more positive than before. 

Taking into account your current situation and how social media impacts you will help you make the right decision. 

Thao Van Nguyen

A passionate content writer and social media enthusiast that loves playing around with ideas and turning them into enticing words. Delivering great and useful content to our readers is what I’m working on.