One year ago, I left Twitter. It was my only remaining Social Media Platform. Now called “X”, Elon Musk has since reduced it to a welcoming home for hate and harm. Policies were revised that prevented acts of harassment from being reported. He allowed certain political figures and charlatan pseudo-scientists back on where he defends them on a regular basis.
As much as I miss some of the people I regularly engaged with on there, I don’t miss the platform.
Over the year, I have begun to read more. When seeking out information it has become very intentional. Having no social media has kept me away from harmful content. In addition, I’ve noticed my writing has vastly improved. It is more of a mindful process requiring a bit of planning and purpose. It has opened myself back up to furthering my lifelong education on the trade and craft.
I still have a YouTube account. However, I believe I can make the case for it not being social media. I rarely upload content, and use it purposely as a well-curated feed for information and subjects of interest to me personally and professionally. If I want to reach out to anyone on the platform, I will do so by email. It feels more purposeful and personal.
So, take inventory of how much time you are spending on social media. Consider if you are getting any real benefit from it. Consider your mental health and how you react to engaging and consuming content from platforms like Meta and Musk-owned mountains of garbage.
Delete your account.