Quitting Social Media
A Personal Experiment
By Joenon Sulzen
Good Morning
The hum of the fan swims in the air above my head
mixing with the deep breaths
filling and clearing my partner's chest.
Their song pulls at my eyelids
begging them to rest.
​
Through my window,
I see a sky freckled with white:
an artist's choice.
The sun has already filled my room
painting the walls the color of sand.
​
As the fan oscillates toward me
it catches whisps of my hair
encouraging their swayed movement.
The specks on my ceiling form pictures
I wish I had the time to admire.
​
I feel my alarm before it starts vibrating.
My partner shifts for a moment.
My head grows tight
and my stomach twists with hunger and anxiety.
​
I reach for my phone
catching a glimpse of my reflection
before it is replaced with notifications
and reminders.
My morning scroll is instinctual by now.
Posed pictures and political paragraphs
rush past my fingers
hanging on for only a second
before being swept out of my mind.
Thirty minutes pass and another alarm rings.
From the distant nightstand,
my partner clicks the sound off
before deciding on his app of choice.
His brain, like mine,
craves distraction.
​
For a moment, I think of what could be different.
We could make breakfast in the kitchen together.
We could watch cartoons from when we were kids.
We could dance to something upbeat.
We could walk to a coffee shop.
​
Instead, we stay.
Lying next to each other without being together.
Scrolling through other peoples' lives.
Wishing for change but not daring to admit it.
Wasting our morning.
​
I don't want my mornings to be wasted.
I don't want my afternoons, evenings, weekends, study breaks, lunches, life
to be wasted.
​
I watch as the images bounce and shake on my screen
then vanish with the click of an x,
and I feel excited about what I can do with today.
Good morning.
What is this?
This project is a personal experiment to try and live a less passive life by deleting social media and using my free time, and technology overall, in healthier, happier, and more beneficial ways.
Social media was a major distraction for me.
I'm doing this project not only for myself but for every person who feels the same way I did but hasn't taken the leap yet.
This is my leap.
Challenge Yourself
Spend an hour, a couple of hours, or a day without your social media.
Whether you delete the apps off of your phone for a little while or just set your phone aside, take the step and see what you can do in that time.
Get outside, make something, learn something, or look at what I have been filling my time with.
You got this!
In one day without social media, you could go for a walk, try a new recipe, meet a friend for lunch, and paint something.
​
In one week, you could make progress on a book (reading or writing), reorganize your space, and complete the project you've been avoiding.
​
In one month, you could implement a workout routine, learn the basics of a new language, and plant a garden.
​
No matter how long you try this, if you do, know that you are capable.