Social media detox might be strange to you if you’ve never really heard or even thought about what that is. It’s all about removing yourself from the social media world for a period of time to free yourself, to connect with the world in ways you’ve forgotten or to tackle new adventures you haven’t had the chance to.
Nowadays we’re glued to our devices, especially in school. And, I think our youth could really benefit from a no social media day.
Don’t get me wrong, I love social media. I feel it is a great resource for helping people stay connected to their friends and family both near and far. It does allow us a lot to accomplish things we couldn’t do at the touch of our fingers. Yet, not long ago before social media, humans still found ways to connect. They gathered together, sometimes over coffee or food, and had face to face conversations. There wasn’t as large of a stipulation about worrying you would miss out or how your friends might be impacted if you choose to interact with others.
Let me explain where I got this idea. I founded a small group in my community called Youth Changing the World. With this group, we do a variety of things for local families in need. At one point during our work together, I had this idea to get people to reconnect with each other by doing a 3-day social media detox. This is how it worked,
We used the 3 following rules:
This movement came off as successful and seemed to solidify connections for a few years.
I feel implementing something like this in a school setting could show today’s youth that there is a world outside of what’s at their fingertips. That there are different ways of communication and being a part of a larger community. I feel it could open their eyes to new perspectives, connection and opportunities. It would allow them to be more present. It would show there is more to life than the latest food blog, or quiz to tell you what character you would be from a hit T.V. show.
If this initiative were to launch, I feel some children would be apprehensive or even against doing it. Perhaps based on the age level, schools could incentivize youth with different prizes or rewards. A field trip or maybe tickets to an amusement park may be enough to steer them closer in favor of doing the challenge. These trips also further drive them to connect with those around them.
It isn’t about taking away social media or making anyone feel bad for enjoying it. The power of social media can be beautiful and helpful at times. The idea, simply is, about reminding us about other ways to connect with those around us. To bring us together and help build social interactions in ways social media can’t. Besides, it can be good for us take a break and refresh as well.
Implementing this one day a year can facilitate more human connection, more social awareness, and perhaps spark a movement. The movement being all about more in person conversations and changing the image portrayed of our current younger generations. It could create a world where social media does not need to be the center of this generation’s world and they could see life could be just as amazing without social media all the time. It’s why I believe a social media detox every so often, is a great thing to try!
Do you ever detox from social media?
Photo by Ben Weber on Unsplash
