Should Social Media Get A Day Off?

Just when we all thought the universe couldn’t surprise us anymore, it manages to find a new approach to scare the population by taking away the number one source used to stalk our exes and communicate with our loved ones… social media.  

What a great way to enter the spooky season… right?! 

A couple of weeks ago, #Instagramisdown was trending due to the platform being inactive for the majority of the workday.

For approximately six hours, the world had to discover new hobbies to do within their spare time without their usual Instagram, Facebook, and Whatsapp check- ins.

All these social apps are owned by Mark Zuckerburg who shared his sincerest apologies to his users stating: 

“Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, and Messenger are coming back online now. Sorry for the disruption today — I know how much you all rely on our services to stay connected with the people you care about.”

He also shared, “to the huge community of people and businesses around the world who depend on us: we’re sorry. We’ve been working hard to restore access to our apps and services and are happy to report they are coming back online. Thank you for bearing with us.”

According to Entrepreneuer.com, Zuckerburg took a huge hit in stock value when the apps stopped working. Based on this decline, he lost $7 billion dollars and his position within the list of “The Richest People In The World.”

In addition to this, many online businesses whose main source of exposure is social media, lost a substantial amount of daily income due to the apps being temporarily down.

Though some individuals were negatively impacted by this unpredictable series of events; social apps, such as Tik Tok and Twitter, jokingly took advantage of this time to welcome the entire population to their platforms.  Twitter even tweeted out a witty tweet – “hello literally everyone,” which received 3.3 M likes,  5,884 retweets, and 2,717 comments.

https://twitter.com/Twitter/status/1445078208190291973

Other users also embraced this moment without having the instant pressure to post or stare at their “like” count. Some individuals actually found this situation peaceful for their mental health and raised the idea that social media should close down once a year for everyone to revitalize themselves. 

One user @gabepnyc tweeted “IG being down brings a different type of inner peace today.”

IG being down brings a different type of inner peace today. 🧘‍♂️

— Gabe P The City's Champ🎙🇵🇷 (@GabePNYC) October 4, 2021

This raises the question: Should social media apps have a day off, so that people can have some time to themselves and not worry about social media anxiety?

Digital burnout is a real thing! It’s categorized as a particular form of burnout that is provoked by the extreme use of digital devices. 

With this week containing World Mental Health Day, here are some tips on how to avoid digital burnout!

1. Log Off: This may sound easier than it is, but the more committed you are to doing it; the easier it will become. Log off of social media for an hour or two each day, so you can have some time for YOU! A lot of times being logged into social media encourages us to be logged into everyone else’s lives, except our own. Logging off for a bit reminds us to be present in our own time and space.
2. Go Outside: A walk in the park or just a little bit of fresh air makes such an impactful difference. Going outside gives you time to clear your head and focus on yourself. Plus it doesn’t hurt once in a while to become one with nature.
3. Journaling: WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! When it comes to free writing and jotting your thoughts down, journaling is another great way to clear your mind. 
4. Find a show to binge: Having a good show to binge usually keeps you away from social media because you’re so interested in the show’s storyline. Binge watching a show, especially with at least 3 seasons, will keep you invested for at least a day and keep you off social media. Some trending shows to binge watch, if you haven’t already are: Squid Games, On My Block, Wu Tang Clan Series, etc.
5. Communicate In-Person: A lot of times people are so consumed with talking via social devices, that they struggle to communicate in-person. Rather than “throwing a sub…” meeting a therapist, friend or family one on one or in a group setting is very ideal.  Learning how to communicate, be vulnerable and express yourself without having to text, tweet, or post about it; is another way to really strengthen your relationship with others and build confidence in your voice.
6. Set social boundaries: Setting a daily time limit for your social media usage is very important. Some devices actually tell you your total “screen time,” for the day and a breakdown on why exactly it’s that total. Using that, you can manage your social media time limit and discipline yourself if you feel that you use your social apps excessively.  

Whether social media does get a day off or not, there are still ways that you can help yourself out! So why not start around World Mental Health Day!