Social media — good or bad? To date, there are more than 5,5 thousand social networks in the Global Network (according to Alexa Internet). The total number of users of the twenty-four largest of them is more than 4 billion people! Developers and owners claim that the number of active accounts is constantly growing, however, sociologists who conduct regular monitoring and surveys on the growing Internet addiction unanimously say that some manage to “get out of the twilight” and return to reality from the virtual world. Why do people get removed from social networks most often?
TOP 5 reasons to voluntarily leave social networks
- «I was sucked in by a dangerous quagmire …». The most common reason is the realization that a person is immersed in boring, unproductive communication, devoid of life and focused on discussing matters of little importance. Quitting “surfing” in this case is a real feat. Almost like quitting smoking.
- Changing priorities is another big reason. It’s no secret that getting on the Web, many seek to register immediately everywhere. “Maintaining” so many personal pages is an incredibly time-consuming business. As a result, a person either completely loses interest in spending time in social networks, or chooses one and leaves the rest.
- «Big brother is watching you». The paranoia caused by talk of total surveillance of everyone and everything on the Internet was perceived by many as a truth that does not require proof. And what needs to be done so that the ubiquitous «Mr. Smiths» do not follow you? Correctly! Get away from everywhere and quickly. But in vain, many people think that their talk about raising children and posts like «1000 dishes from boiled potatoes» are of interest to the shadow government.
- The reason for removal from social networks is often work. Getting a job in some state institutions and commercial corporations, people voluntarily refuse this kind of publicity. Such a clause may be regulated by internal documents or a separate line in the employment contract.
- And, finally, the fifth reason is the rupture of existing contacts. It is much easier to change the environment on the Internet without offending anyone, without sorting things out with anyone, if there is no one and nowhere to express complaints.
Sometimes they come back….
Another statistical paradox that negates all of the above reasons: more than 80% of those who have retired from social networks return to virtual reality again. Whether under real names or fake ones is not so important. Addiction, that’s what addiction is for, alas, there are no former “instagrammers”, “vkontakteers”, “classmates”, “twitterists” and “facebookers”. In our time of heavy informatization and the widespread transition of familiar services to virtual platforms, as well as the active use of remote formats, a complete rejection of the Internet can make a person a hermit, and sometimes an outcast. Well, since the Internet is a forced necessity, then social networks and instant messengers, as its integral component, are “inevitable evil”.
Psychologist’s advice
If you feel that your interest in social networks is developing into a real addiction and you want to get rid of discomfort, do not make sudden movements. By deleting all existing accounts, you will first feel relief, however, you will no longer be able to maintain the usual format of communication. Alas, most likely, your friends, relatives and acquaintances will not repeat your feat, so after some time you may find yourself in an informational and social vacuum. Get out of the state of dependence gradually: leave those accounts active, the presence of which objectively allows you to maintain a minimum of communication at work and outside of it.
Diversify your leisure time, try to spend as much time as possible on outdoor activities, go in for sports, go hiking, get distracted by watching a movie in an offline cinema.
Modern mobile devices are full of features. Need a photo? The phone has a camera and not one. Want to listen to music? Again, the phone comes to the rescue. A clock, an alarm clock, a notebook, a calendar, a calculator… In order not to grab your phone in your hands for any reason, just get less fashionable, but more useful things in your case — an ordinary alarm clock, an MP3 player, a camera, a paper notebook, a watch. Fewer reasons to pick up your phone means less temptation to be distracted by browsing social pages.