Maybe it is “that damn phone.” Everything is fast on the internet. Jokes that are funny one week are subsequently cringeworthy the next. Everything is niche. Everything is a subculture. Everything is an algorithm. The internet is endless. 

Everything online feels so bleak as of now. I don’t have to tell you this, but at some point, the internet became unfun. An algorithm can serve us an ad, AI slop, and completely sensationalized news within the span of a minute. It shows you just enough enjoyable content to keep you searching for more. 

The enjoyable content that I’m always scrolling for happens to be mixed media edits; I absolutely adore them. I know I’m telling you to get offline, but search up your favorite movie, tv series, or musician as a mixed media edit online and see what I mean. They’re so very human and cool. They make a scroll worth it for me. 

Really cool content online like these edits is few and far between, however. The algorithm is a waste of precious time — truly a finite resource — and is an endless void of information. 

If we all agree it’s bad – why do we keep it in our lives? What’s stopping you or me from escaping the endless content loop? 

I know why I can’t ever truly leave, and it really boils down to a fear of missing out. How will I see a new trend or the videos and messages my friends have sent me? 

I’ve deleted social media in the past, but it’s only been for months-long breaks at a time. I thought about what apps I was most addicted to, and it came in the form of Instagram and TikTok. TikTok and Instagram were deleted, and Pinterest and YouTube were supplemented. 

I also remember being so incredibly creative without social media. When short-form content wasn’t constantly in my face, I was able to think and enjoy much more deeply. Content I did consume was curated on a beautiful Pinterest board or a YouTube video. 

I was writing poems. I was coming up with intricate and beautiful plot ideas and characters. If I were writing for the Whit at the time, I probably would have been so inspired creatively. But if I had been writing for the Whit at the time, I would have been laughably out of the loop on everything pop culture. 

I would only look at a TikTok if a friend had sent me a link via text message. I would only allow myself to check Instagram on my browser or laptop.

I also realized I had isolated myself by deleting social media, and while I had mentioned it to friends, it had been in passing. A week or so after being sporadic online, I had a couple of “are you mad at me” texts from friends I didn’t see every day. I felt so, so stupid. 

I think this is part of a learning curve with online boundaries. I had chosen to delete Instagram at a bad time, as I was just starting here at Rowan and was constantly meeting new people. Connecting with people on Instagram via browser with the infamously snail-paced Rowan WiFi was always awkward, but I found that the people were respectful of my online boundaries. 

Social media, like any vice, has its benefits. If you don’t believe me, consider alcohol. Known to be an addictive toxin, many believe it is very beneficial in social situations and celebrations. With both social media and alcohol, it’s very important to know your limits. 

I wish that social media had never been invented. I personally think technology peaked in the early 2000s — at least from the media at the time, I wasn’t born yet.

Early 2000s technology was the flip phone and the home computer, which are absolutely novel to me now. Just enough technology to communicate safety to others with a personal cell phone and to update your personal blog at your home computer. The internet didn’t follow you everywhere you went, and if it did, it was slow. 

Social media is not going anywhere, and our lives are likely to become more dependent on algorithms. My advice is to be more cautious with your curation. The internet is vast, but it’s not a monolith. If swapping Instagram for Pinterest helps, do it. Maybe getting rid of notifications will do the trick for you. Anyone who tells you it’s all or nothing is a hypocrite and is missing out on the benefits of cutting back.

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