I decided to delete my Snapchat and have been without a Snapchat for 2 months now. I was never really a big fan of it. I remember being a senior in high school in the beginning stages of testing it out thinking how peculiar it was that messages you sent "erased" immediately or stories were gone in 24 hrs. I think people are more drawn to Snapchat because it is so temporary and "erasable" giving people a sense of zero consequences on the app. Quite a concept.
When I was in 8th grade I made a Myspace account unbeknownst to my mom, who was very strict. When she found and went thru my Myspace account she was horrified that I had posted pics of my baby sister. "Her picture is on the internet, anyone can see pictures of her!" She made me take it down immediately. Fast forward almost 10 years and that incident is hilarious to think about. The amount of things people share on social media is ridiculous. It went from a way to connect with others to a digital world that people use to escape reality and share information, thoughts, pictures, etc. social media has taken over in a way that I could not fathom.
It was not hard to delete my Snapchat, in fact it feels actually great. It is one less app that I check, and think about. The first day I deleted my snap however was weird. I kid you not, I subconsciously checked for the app over 100 times. It took me about a week to finally not go on my phone and look for the app. I realized it became habitual for me, and I found it was just a distraction. I used Snapchat to pass time, when I could be putting that time to more productive, uplifting things. So I am happy with my decision and I think I am also more focused. (This was also a part of my plan to be more self disciplined and eliminate distractions.)
I was also inspired by a local photographer whom I follow on Instagram, she did an incredible shoot depicting how social media has taken over us as individuals and how we are becoming desensitized as a generation. That really hit home with me and I have been inspired to take a break from my Twitter this month. I think it is important to take frequent breaks from social media. I urge all to be aware of your time on your social media apps, especially if you find that it consumes your thoughts or you are like me and you just subconsciously check/scroll thru social media apps to fill a void. If you wake up in the morning and the first thing you reach for is your phone to check your social media... you may need to take a little break.
All Love,
Jeane Tui
*Below is the IG post from the local photographer @obieta Check it out!!!
