How Quitting Facebook and Instagram has Significantly Increased my Happiness!
Yes, it works!
Disclaimer — I still believe both are great products and for a particular audience. Unfortunately, I no longer belong to that audience and both of these social platforms, do not spark joy in my life anymore.
It’s been more than a year since I stopped using Facebook (FB) completely and been a couple of months since I stopped using Instagram.
Both apps do not exist on my Phone, neither do I access these on the web.
I can vouch from my experience, I am happier now.
Let’s take each separately.
Truth be told, I really enjoyed FB for years (sharing photos of vacations, food, liking and commenting on other photos, where am I, what I am doing and so on)…until I changed as a person and FB was not for me anymore. I loved the Likes and the Comments.
All these interactions made me feel popular and belonged. I used to check-in to places until I realised all these are just artificial connections and interactions and was not making my actual real life any better.
All I saw on FB was —
People sharing the same post again and again — memes, motivation, other people’s enlightenment passing on their own, people sharing where they are holidaying, what and where they are eating, where they are partying after hours/weekends, people giving advise on others what they themselves should follow first. People liking and commenting on other people’s photos and activity whom will not see eye-to-eye in person.
Worst was holiday photos and check-ins, which was followed by hundreds of likes and comments.
After a point of time, these posts made me depressed and felt my life is so hollow and dull, compared to the colourful lives everyone else seems to be living.
Honestly, I did the same for years and I apologise to everyone who felt the same as what I felt about my life.
Each life is beautiful in its own right and any comparison is artificial and futile.
Probably the only thing I liked was Groups which I am missing as many professional groups are on FB Groups still. Though I am aware many Groups ARE moving away from it as it is not only me who is moving away from FB.
Add to it all the news for all the wrong reasons for which FB has been in the news is also probably adding and reaffirming that going off it was a prudent thing to do.
I am curious to know why people are still on FaceBook. What value are they getting from it? Genuinely asking?
If one wants to stay in touch, more personal and direct conversations on calls/WhatsApp are more long-lasting and enduring. On FB, people are merely acting that they are concerned about other people.
Why not do in private —
If you want to empathise with someone…
Praise someone…
Help someone…
Find more info about something…
If you want to build any long-lasting relationship without the limelight?
Let’s face it and be very clear…most people who “Like” any holiday-related photos are full of envy and desire that they were in your place. Consciously or subconsciously.
Why add to anyone’s misery and be a cause for depression? And this has been proven in multiple studies.
I enjoyed Facebook till I was that person who enjoys it. But as a person, I have changed and hence Facebook is no more for me.
I had rather spend more time with few people than spend a little time with more people.
I loved Instagram! Probably even more than Facebook as this was easy to consume — no text, only pictures and videos and a joy to create — share pictures and have conversations on those pictures as a result.
Considering my interest in finding interest in random things, taking pictures and sharing, Instagram was flawless.
Considering I am a FOODIE, sharing pictures of food and trying new restaurants, Instagram was sent from heaven. I used to get a lot of likes and comments both offline and online.
The above two activities I may do say 2–3 times a week, so doing these including comments and conversations was not more than 2–3 hours max.
As a creator, Instagram was great. It was the consumer mind which was getting messed up.
It was impossible to not get hooked on to stories and keep browsing endless stories, 99% of which was useless.
A celebrity sharing holiday pictures…
A merchant sharing their new merchandise…most of it fakes/replica of shoes, watches, jackets, etc
Random people sharing random pictures with funky stickers, etc.
Random people speaking random things as if it was a sermon…
“Influencers” influencing us to get influenced to buy this or that…
I was hooked like a person hooked on to drugs…I knew it was bad and taking my mind for a spin but I just couldn’t resist.
All this was making me depressed and I finally pulled the plug and deleted the app.
Now I no longer spend most of my meals taking pictures. I spend quality time with family when we are eating out. Feel stupid I didn’t do this earlier.
As a UX Researcher + Designer, this experience has been life-changing. I learned so much from studying myself and as a Designer I feel we definitely should be accountable to what impact we are making as a result of what we are designing and building. Hopefully, the impact is for the better and not for the worst, for the end user.
As always, curious to hear your thoughts.
