We are Still Truly Free

-- By MatthewSchwartz - 17 Oct 2023

Freedom is Obtainable

I have a brain. I can make my own decisions. Unlike the vast majority of people in my generation, I do not use social media. I only have LinkedIn? on my phone. I have shutoff all notifications from text and from LinkedIn? . I only use LinkedIn? to communicate with other attorneys, and I now seldom use the application. This has freed me. Before I deleted social media, I used to have all the major social media platforms: Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, etc.

Now that I have deleted all of these applications, I have felt a strong sense of freedom. Without the need to reply to people’s text immediately (which notifications pressure you to do), I control my own time. I am in control of my life. I am in control of my decisions. I am in control of what I want to do. This, unfortunately, is not the fate of many people my age.

I urge everyone reading this to consider whether the pros of social media outweigh the cons of social media to you. To really answer this question, please ask yourself whether you have spent less time pursuing your hobbies and finding what brings you happiness compared to when you were not addicted to your phone. Also, think about how much more you could accomplish without having the need to be glued to your phone. Freedom is obtainable. You have the power now. I recommend trying to quit social media for a week. See how you feel. I promise you will not regret trying.

Social Media is Evil

Freedom from social media is necessary for humans to finally feel a sense of control of their life and ownership of their actions. It is no secret that social media is meant to be addicting. Before I deleted social media from my life, I would have an average screen time of 5-6 hours a day. When looking at this number in the aggregate, that comes out to over 1800 hours a year spent on my phone. The vast majority of my time spent on my phone was dedicated to social media.

With almost the equivalent of a full-time job spent on social media a year, I realized how evil this time sink is. I did not need social media to maintain relationships with my closest friends. I did not need social media to stay connected with my family. I did not need social media to find out what events are going on in the community. I finally came to understand that the chokehold social media has is not even close to necessary to feeling a sense of belonging.

Humans inherently have a need to feel connected. Social media led me to actually become less connected with the people I care about most. It is much more challenging to be invested in your closest friends and family when you also need to keep up with the 1000s of other people popping up on your phone via Instagram. My classmate from 10 years ago who was an acquaintance that I no longer speak to is not worth me keeping up with over my friends and family. Time is limited. Why should I spend my time keeping up with my long-lost acquaintance when I can deepen the relationships that I have with the people I care about the most?

Social media is evil. It is limiting our ability to deepen our most cherished relationships.

Social Media Causes Loneliness

It is obvious that mental health is suffering now. Depression is at an all-time high. Social anxiety is at an all-time high. Loneliness is at an-all time high. The United States is suffering a loneliness epidemic. If you look at communities where social media is nowhere near as prevalent, like in the Blue Zones, you will see what truly leads to a long and happy life.

In the Blue Zones, like in Sardinia, there is a much higher proportion of centenarians than in the United States. Japan is also known for having a very long lifespan, too. A central component of these Blue Zones is a strong familial community, a sense of belonging, and a life purpose. The Blue Zones focus on caring for their family, put the community first, and exercise and keep their mind strong. Something that these zones have in common, a lack of social media dependence, is no surprise. I would argue that it is not possible to keep your mind strong when you are dependent on a drug, your phone.

While we are in the United States, we do not have the same luxury of living in a culture where it is the norm to not use social media, but I promise you will not feel anywhere near as lonely or unhappy if you quit social media. You will make more friends along the way, and your connections with said friends will be stout.

Conclusion

You can become free from social media. You can break the addiction. You can break the dependence of social media. Social media is evil. It is also causing you to be lonelier. Please try to heed my warning and recommendation. Without the constant urge to check your phone and see your notifications, you are finally in control. Social media is dehumanizing us because we need to constantly check our phones to feel a sense of self. We are very complicated creatures, but social media limits our ability to make our own choices. Please trust me, before it is too late.

I'm glad you're feeling better. We'll know in seventy years or so, I guess, whether you got more longevity by the deal. You must have realized, I think, that the effect on longevity in Japan of behavior that began after 2010 will not be ascertainable, if at all, for many decades. That's why I think the draft is straight-faced satire.

Either way making it better means putting the next draft in touch with reality outside yourself. The literature on loneliness and social media is not inextensive: I assigned an entire book on this and related subjects (Turkle's Alone Together) which you haven't touched yet. Let's start there.

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