2022: When I finally quit social media for good

2022 is the year I get serious about quitting things that do not serve me.

Shailaja V. introduced me to Cal Newport’s work.

I’m yet to read his books but I’ve been listening to his Deep Questions podcast and I’ve watched a bunch of talks, interviews, and podcasts where he talks compellingly about getting off social media.

I love how articulate he is. I could listen to him talk for hours. In fact, his podcast is my hour-long companion on my daily walks.

I’ve always had trouble sustaining the will to keep a good habit. I start off with great enthusiasm and high ideals but soon lose steam. One stumble and I’m off the rails.

Quitting social media completely has been on my mind for a long, long time.

I can’t say that I’ve ever enjoyed it a lot but somehow I always found it difficult to take the final step and delete my account.

I’ve joined and quit Facebook and Instagram twice, the most recent occasion being January 2022. And this time, I’ll quit Twitter too. I’m so done with the fakery and “humble brag” that goes on on these platforms.

I’ll keep LinkedIn because it’s the only platform that’s actually helpful and I’m also considering paying for it. I’ve realized I can keep the cringe content away from my feed if I curate my following list carefully.

My introduction to social media came in the form of Orkut. I was in college at the time pursuing a Bachelor’s degree. A friend sent an invite to me and I was fascinated by the prospect of creating a personal profile, connecting with long-lost friends whom I tracked down with diligence (Do I have what it takes to be a stalker?)

It wasn’t the first time I was interacting with strangers on the Internet, though. We brought a computer home when I was 15 and Yahoo chat rooms were all the rage. I’d visit different rooms, give people my “ASL” and chat about random things.

Soon, I realized these chat rooms were predatory grounds for abusers. I had the good sense to not share personal information with anybody. Also, I found online games on Shockwave more interesting.

This story reminds me of my experience with Clubhouse: it was good and I found some interesting people who discussed interesting ideas. But the chat rooms seemed to fade away after a while, to be replaced by vulgar rooms that seemed to be online dating spaces judging from their titles. I quit the app in a few months.

As a freelance writer, how will I promote myself?

I think it’s time I learned SEO properly. And how to market myself through blogging. I also intend to write on Medium.

By cutting out all the distractions from my life, I intend to make more space for projects and hobbies that I want to take up. Or just get more sleep.

Let’s see how it goes.

June 2022 update: I have successfully quit Instagram. I created a fresh Twitter profile solely to keep tabs on freelance writing opportunities. I do not scroll through my Twitter feed nor do I feel the need to do so.

In fact, I feel quite free. I have SO much more time to do the things I really want to do.