I spent 80 days without social media and in this video I'm going to tell you what happened and what changed in my life. The first thing I noticed was the reduction in anxiety. In the first few days, I remember that I felt a great peace, because before being without social media, I felt constantly trapped.
I remember spending hours watching reels, for example, and when I put it aside, there would be that feeling of anguish, of anxiety. And when I ran out, I remember feeling like I was free, for the first time. I didn't feel like I was throwing my life in the trash, wasting hours and hours on those superficial things.
And that takes us to another point, which is: I realized that I started to have a lot more time. Even from cell phone statistics, I could see that I used to spend a lot of time on social media, around 4 hours a day. And with this time that I had for myself again, I started using it to do what I really liked.
So I started to rescue several hobbies that I had left behind, several dreams, several things that I wanted, but never found time to do. So it was really good, because I realized that I had time that could really be allocated to activities that had meaning in my life. And, of course, something that was very evident was my dopamine detox.
I remember it was even sad, because even if I forced myself to read, I continued reading even a little, it was very difficult for me to concentrate on many pages at some point, it was very difficult. Because I was very used to allocating my time to things that required a lot of dopamine, right? And nowadays, the main source of dopamine, I would say, in our daily lives, is surrounded by social media.
So, without this abundant dopamine every second, I could see that my ability to concentrate, for example, improved a lot. It became much easier to read, it became much easier to do these activities in which we generally don't find much of this dopamine. And which we avoid using social media.
And a very important point in this experiment for me was my reunion with myself. That was something I didn't expect to happen. When I spent this time away from this mess, this online comparison, I was able to really look at myself, something that maybe I was avoiding or was too distracted to do.
And I could understand what it really meant to me, what was important. What I really liked. .
. because I think that social networks, nowadays, influence us a lot, even if we don't realize it. We start to adopt that herd narrative.
So you insert yourself into a bubble and you start adopting the behaviors of that bubble without necessarily thinking about it much. Because, after all, how are you going to reflect if you have something new to see all the time, if a notification arrives, if a like arrives? It's a lot of information.
So you just absorb what people give you, without actually stopping to think if it's what you want, if it's what you believe in, if it's really good for you. So when I was alone, when I could look at myself, I realized that, in fact, I didn't like half the things I was doing. That I had been influenced to adopt behaviors that weren't mine, that weren't in line with my values, just because I was being inspired by those who were already successful or by those who sold this lifestyle.
And that was a huge blow. But, at the same time, it was very good, because I was able to return to the things that I love, that feed my soul. And something funny that I realized is that the absence of social media, for me, was insignificant.
Because if someone asks me: ''Carla, did you miss it at some point, did you want to download it again? '' Man, yes, I did, but it was very few times. And you know what I found funny about those times?
It was always when I wanted to post something. It was always when I wanted to show that experience, I wanted to show that outfit. .
. And that's really funny, because it reflects how our culture has become very narcissistic because of social networks and like social networks, they increasingly encourage this narcissism. So, you have an online persona that ends up being seen as a part or a reflection of who you are.
You become valuable by the number of likes and comments you receive. Look how crazy this is, look how it seems like we are out of touch with reality. People are afraid of the metaverse, right?
But I think we already live in it. I remember thinking, ''damn, do I literally just want to download this app again and use it because I want to post what I'm wearing? ''.
What is this? So does that mean that my experience is only good if it is seen by others? Do I only exist in the eyes of others?
Do I only feel good if I'm validated? We don't usually ask ourselves these types of questions on a daily basis, but I realize that this is the problem. That's why we're like this, we don't realize how social networks have even changed our way of thinking, our understanding of life, of our social relationships.
''Ah, Carla, but I use social media to connect with people, to see my colleagues, right? '' Look, that could even be true, because, after all, that's the objective, right? Social networks, according to their creators: connecting people.
But there is a very interesting concept from the book ''Focused Work'', which Cal Newport brings to us, which is the ''any benefit'' mentality. And this mentality, it basically says that, sometimes, we want to use something so much, we want to have something so much, that any benefit we can see in it, we will use it as justification to continue with that activity. ''Wow, Instagram gives me depression, anxiety, it makes me compare myself all the time, it lies to me, it creates a parallel reality in my head.
. . But I was able to like so-and-so's photo; So, therefore, this is a justification for me to continue using it''.
In my case, I realized that was exactly what I was doing. Friend, it's a trade off, right? You exchange one thing for another and if you think the benefits outweigh the harms, continue, it's your life.
But you have been warned. And another great thing I realized is that it became much easier to be happy. And I think that's my conclusion from this experiment.
All in all, for me, it became much easier to be happy without social media. During that time, without social media, I started to feel that I was really present in the moment, that I was living in the now. And in that case, I'm 22 years old, so I started using social media almost as a child.
. . in pre-adolescence, I think.
So, I have had active profiles on social media for over 10 years. For me, the feeling is as if I had truly freed myself from slavery. I'm not saying here that I'll never use it again.
. . Maybe I'll even go back because of my work, but I'm sure it will be in a much more conscious way.
Because now, without them, I realize how much I don't need them and also how much they were doing me more harm than good. Except YouTube, right? Which is sweet to me, because I've always had a very healthy relationship with YouTube and I plan to stay here as long as you guys want to watch me.
And in this regard, I would even like to propose a reflection on the next generations here, philosophizing a little. Because I see that this affectation is already very present in our current society, in this generation. And this generation of ours was lucky enough, so to speak, to have a slightly more normal childhood, right?
These social networks, these apps, began to be introduced when we were already in our pre-teens… Now, imagine these babies who are being born with tablets in their hands. Who are already associating fun with technology. I'm really worried about this, like, not being apocalyptic or anything.
But this worries me, because, in fact, they are already treated as necessary in our daily lives. Even though they are not, this is the narrative that companies sell to us and we end up buying. So, if it's already difficult for this generation, which had a more normal childhood, to leave this connection all the time and focus on themselves, imagine what will become of these little ones who are born submerged in this world of likes and comments?
What do you think about that? Do you agree with me? Do you think I'm completely wrong?
Do you think the future is beautiful and wonderful with networks? Leave it here in the comments. Let's have a good and friendly debate about this.
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Be productive, but be aware. Kiss, bye, bye.
