what i've learned during my month without instagram

ft. my virtual "postcards" from january

I have had an Instagram account for as long as I can remember — well, since the app was created in 2010 (which is also basically as long as I can remember). Since then, it is safe to assume that I’ve spent at least an hour on the app every single day. Scrolling, searching, watching stories, curating my own posts. It really is an addiction most of us do not realize we have.

I can recall a handful of times over the years when I took a few hiatuses from the platform in order to recharge / unplug / get over a boy I never dated, but these breaks never lasted for much longer than a week.

Right before the new year, I decided I was way overdue for another break from the app, but this time, I wanted it to be longer. There are a ton of goals I wanted to focus on and I wanted to be more intentional with my time. So, I took the plunge and deleted the app, promising myself I would stay off of it for at least one full month. And as that month comes to a close…

Here’s what I have discovered during my month off of Instagram:

1. I genuinely like to take photos and capture memories. I will always be taking dozens, most likely hundreds, of photos for my own personal collection, regardless of if I have a social media platform to post them on.

2. I really do have a lot more free time than I claim to. I don’t think I really registered how much time I was wasting mindlessly scrolling, and it is nice to feel like I now have “extra” time to do things.

3. It is perfectly fine to not know what every single person you have ever met is up to on a Saturday night - and to be honest, it is better that way. The Joy Of Missing Out, as they say.

4. When major life events happen, my friends will text me.

   1. For the most part, I don’t need to rely on their posts to hear their life updates. I was worried I would miss out on what was going on with them, but that really hasn’t been the case. If anything, we have even more to talk about when we get together since I haven’t seen all their day-to-day updates online.

5. I do enjoy using the platform as a way to connect with people I have just met and want to keep up with (i.e., new friends I have made at weddings).

6. Half of the fun of posting an Instagram story is waiting to see if/when your crush views it.

   1. Let’s be honest - once your crush sees your story, do you really care who else clicks on it?

7. It is freeing to not feel the constant pressure to post the highlights of your life.

   1. I went to Disney World and a beautiful Bengali wedding this month. I took so many photos I usually would be itching to share online, but instead, it was fun to text a few of them to my close friends and jokingly call them “postcards” (see the ones I shared below).

8. I feel like I can more clearly focus on what I want and what my goals are without hundreds of outside influences.

   1. It felt as if I was always perfectly content staying in on a Friday night until I saw someone who is practically a stranger to me post about the party they were at or concert they were going to, and suddenly my decision to rest and relax wasn’t good enough (even though that is what I decided to do). Why didn’t I know about that concert? I should have been at a party, too. It has been much easier to feel like I am making the best decisions for myself because I am making them based on what I want to do and not based on what I maybe think I should be doing.

9. Last but certainly not least, I oddly felt like I rested more without Instagram. I felt less guilty about resting, too. I think maybe I just listened to my body more and allowed myself to get more rest without the constant nagging thoughts and pressure that I needed to be doing something else. I didn’t feel like I needed to be doing more than I was.

So, in conclusion:

Do I miss Instagram? Honestly, no, not really.

Will I eventually download Instagram again? Maybe. Probably. I think I’m too much of a pop culture + visual + extroverted person to avoid it forever.

Do I feel like my relationship to the app will be healthier? I really hope so. I now know what value I do get from Instagram and what parts of it don’t serve me, and I can adjust my behavior accordingly.

Would I recommend a digital detox? 1000% - if you were looking for a sign to go off the grid for a bit, let this be it.

some of my favorite "postcards" from January I've sent family & friends