Why I Deleted Social Media

If you're reading this—congratulations! You are on Vocal Media, a website worth spending time on for all sorts of inspiration, creativity, and education.

Unfortunately, not all websites and social media apps are like this one. Many have very negative effects on your mental health, which is why I decided to delete almost all of them.

Like most high schoolers, I too was a pretentious moron who needed the self-assurance and entertainment crutch of social media. Losing my phone was like losing a limb, and the thought of being grounded and having my screen time taken away was a torture I couldn't bare. Everyday— check Facebook, scroll through Twitter, open my Snapchats, mindlessly liking photos on Instagram, and let's not even discuss Tumblr... *shudders*.

And yes, this was something I did everyday, multiple times a day, and spending most of my day doing. Why? Because that's what everyone does, and I simply can NOT miss out on... well, everything and yet, nothing? It is a feeling that has been termed as FOMO—fear of missing out. FOMO was the ultimate reason why I disabled my social accounts.

In my four years of high school, being in the know was a given. Seeing everyone I knew daily and the whole domino effect of "I know someone who knows someone, who knows someone, who know someone...." makes the scoop very accessible. Social media just makes it easier! Everyone is inclined to narrate their lives in posts, and we eat it up and all do the same. Of course, I too felt it necessary to let everyone and their mother know about all the mundane activities I partook in—otherwise, how would other's know that I was an active individual in society? Then my mindset began to change.

When I graduated high school, I got this whole new anxiety to add to my arsenal, FOMO. Now that I'm finished with high school and moving on to the real world, how will I be able to keep up with everyone? All these people who—if I'm being honest—I don't give a shit about, yet I'm intrigued by them and knowing their daily lives. For no damn reason at all... right. No reason. As soon as I realized that I didn't actually need to know what everyone was up to, I finally understood why I would open social media and make myself sick with anxiety. I deleted and disabled everything and "got it together."

So this brings me to what I learned from deleting my social media. I asked myself "Is this FOMO, or am I just an asshole?" Honestly, sometimes it's a bit of both. On one hand, I do suffer from social anxiety and genuinely would be hurt when I saw that people I consider my friends were hanging out and doing things without me. But on the other hand, that mindset comes from believing that everyone should consider you and if they aren't then that means they aren't your true friends... back to anxiety. If you are like me in that sense, I have some shocking news for you from one asshole to another: the world doesn't revolve around you.

But don't worry! There is so much more out there waiting for you to discover once you turn off the laptop and start to actually live. For me, I immersed myself in school, working hard, and being able to travel because of it. It is now a relief for me that I DON'T know the local gossip. It's just not necessary for living a mentally healthy life. As for FOMO—I will quote RuPaul Charles, "What other people think of me is none of my damn business." If I'm not invited to something, it's not my business and it's certainly not my right to be butt hurt for being left out. Without social media, I've been able to grow as a person. I only have an instagram account because it serves as a source of inspiration for me—traveling goals, things I want to try, local events, etc. That's exactly what being connected should do, add value to your life. If your social media accounts aren't adding value to your life then I sincerely hope I've convinced you to grow up and try shutting down for a bit—you'll be surprised by the results!