Social Media: Why I deleted my Instagram account and the after-effects of this action

As our world advances with technology we become more and more interconnected with one another in the virtual world. Social media platforms are great for several reasons – they allow us to be connected to our family and friends who live across the globe and also to be exposed to various ways of thinking and inspiring human beings. Having said this, after years of having an Instagram account I realised the disadvantages outweighed the benefits of using this site.

We all experience the world differently and personally, I felt like Instagram was damaging my perception of the world. I do not think Instagram itself is bad but what is questionable is what motivates us to keep posting and also how we use it. I first realised I was confronting more than a social media page when I decided to delete my personal account. I could not. The thought of deleting the account made me feel like I was losing a part of my identity. How strange right? How could a page with a few pictures that captured some moments of my life seem so significant? This is what scared me – the page seemed to hold such importance to me but it was not even real, it was just a profile on the internet. It was time to call it quits.

It appeared as though my subconscious had attached itself to this unreal profile and the virtual connections I had formed. Upon contemplating whether or not I should delete my profile I wondered if I would be missing out on what my friends and family were doing. I also have a Facebook account (which is also a whole other blog post) so I knew that I would still be able to connect with them there, despite living thousands of miles away. Also, the people who I was closest to already had my phone number and so we could always converse on the phone.

Although it may be a hard pill to swallow – Instagram does make you compare yourself to others. As most of you already know: comparison is the greatest thief of joy. As I said earlier, social media can be used to gain inspiration from others. My favourite pages were those that preached positive thinking, meditation, and many other self-help methods. However, I did not necessarily need Instagram to gain this inspiration as it can be found anywhere online.

Another issue I had with the platform (this is still relevant to all social media) was the issue of appearance versus reality. Profiles only showed a few captured moments of one’s life and not their everyday living. We tend to think that what people post is what their life is like every day. However, this is inaccurate. I would see some friends going to great lengths to get the ‘perfect picture’ and I do not blame them.

Human beings just want to feel accepted and loved. Unfortunately, in this day and age, we can gain a false sense of this acceptance through ‘likes’. The connections we form online give us a sense of companionship. The pictures we post that get a positive reaction, give us a sense of accomplishment and release the hormone dopamine which leaves us feeling good and wanting more. Social media is addictive to put it plainly.

After deleting my profile, I was welcomed with more free time to actually spend on being productive and on the activities I truly enjoyed. I switched from being the consumer to being a creator. Instead of always being passively entertained, I now had the drive to create. It is easy to spend countless hours on an app after work or school when you are relaxing. However, what is this app adding to your life? I deleted my personal Instagram profile because it was not adding any value to my life. I would spend hours scrolling, liking, comparing, and having no finished product at the end of it – that was time spent that I will never get back.

After being off Instagram for over a year, I do not miss it. I see no point in actually having it and I doubt I will ever set up an account again. Having said that, who knows what the future holds. For now, I am perfectly content with being off the site and adding real value to my life in the non-virtual world.