I used to find it quite anxiety inducing to be on ig specifically, especially for posting
Iโve not had it for a year now, mostly for studying purposes but also I find when I get back on it makes me feel worse about my life (which is quite sad atm because of studying) also I think not having it makes me more addict-able to reels somehow Also it has made me do other things more, I now read the news obsessively lol
So overall mixed bag, I think it has helped my brain but also made me v unaware of what my friends are up to on the day-to-day, and thus a bit antisocial
itโs so horrible for your brain and self image and iโm sure itโs just gotten more hellish since 2016. i save photos i like to an album (u can now add captions to photos on iphone) that is my social media for myself. and i also just text people or more often wait for them to text me since im bad at reaching out. i truly do not miss it at all. i however am not perfect and will do my share of doomscrolling on youtube shorts which is bad for my brain but at least doesnt affect my self esteem since there is no community of my peers, i feel no urge to post, and the algorithm is so bad nothing is ever very targeted/relevant. you will be surprised how quickly you stop thinking and wondering about it and how good and free it will make you feel, i have quite literally never looked back.
Everything about Instagram is so sinister, but I was also so addicted to reels for a while after deleting TikTok. It just makes me depressed and angry and bitter and the whole bit. I finally deactivated my whole account two weeks ago and while my phone addiction is a whole other thing (I've now done so many NYT Crosswords...), the doomscroll is no more and it's nice.
Honestly deleting social media (especially instagram) has widen my capacity for new Real world things in so many ways. Being more creative, having more original ideas, honestly just more time To think!!! I think the first month was an adjustment because it was like a dopamine cleanse, lots of overthinking and feelings of intense boredom A lot of the things projected onto me I realized were not even insecurities of my own but harbored in my brain because of tiktok/instagram I did worry about having FOMO and not seeing what my friends were up to but I can also just text them and ask ??? I feel like instagram especially is a very PASSIVE and superficial way of connecting with people. I definitely feel like my social circle decreased exponentially without it but for the better ๐งโโ๏ธ