[Column] The Day I Quit All Social Media

~ The Choice to Distance Myself from Phantom Anger ~

Hello, everyone.

A little while ago, I wrote an article about our distance from information.
It was about how the increase in information from news and social media can leave us feeling mentally exhausted without us even realizing it.

Previous article

After writing that article, I made a decision.

I decided to quit all social media.

At some point, my mind had stopped feeling at peace

The trigger wasn't any one specific event.

Whenever I opened social media, there was always a flood of information flowing there.

Political debates.
Social issues.
Someone's anger.
Wars in distant countries.
Someone's harsh words.

Even though I really only intended to 'check a little information',
I would find myself staring at the screen for a long time.

And even after I closed my smartphone,
various events would keep spinning around in my head.

Even on my days off, my mind felt restless.

That kind of time was gradually increasing.

Getting angry over something that doesn't concern me

When I look at social media,
events that I can do nothing about flow by one after another.

Events in distant countries.
Arguments between strangers.
Various social problems.

Seeing those,

'This is wrong'

'Why do things like this happen?'

and feel anger or sadness.

However, when I think about it,
many of those events

Events that should originally be 'a fire on the other side of the river'
end up burning only my heart.

I decided to give that state a name.

Phantom Anger

Anger without substance.
It is a state where only your mental energy is consumed
by events you cannot do anything about yourself.

Social media is a place that easily gathers anger

Social media is a convenient place.

Information arrives quickly,
and you can connect with people far away.

But at the same time, social media is also

• anger

• conflict

• strong language

a place where these things spread easily.

This is because events with strong emotions
are more likely to be shared than calm topics.

Without realizing it,
we might be

continuing to receive the anger and sadness
of the whole world every day.

I decided to keep a little distance

So, I took the plunge and made a decision.

I decided to take a break from social media.

I deactivated the following services:

• X

• Facebook

• Instagram

• Threads

Before I knew it, I was using almost all the major social media platforms.

I deleted them all.

It might sound a bit dramatic, but
the moment I pressed the button, I felt a little weight lift off my shoulders.

The world was quieter than I thought

Just because I quit social media,
it doesn't mean the world changes.

News still happens as it always has, and
social problems don't just disappear.

But there is one thing that has changed.

The quietness within my own heart.

The moment I open my smartphone,
I no longer have anger and arguments jumping out at me.

Instead,
I have regained some time to think slowly.

It doesn't mean I've become indifferent

When you quit social media,

some people might think,

"Won't you become indifferent to society?"

But in reality, that is not the case.

I still watch the news, and
I still think about society.

However,

I have come to be able to think that way.

Keeping your distance is not the same as being indifferent.

It is a boundary to protect your heart.

Toward a quiet internet

There are many places on the internet other than social media.

A place to write quietly.
A place to slowly organize your thoughts.
A place where you can interact gently.

For me, that was Note.

From now on,

• what I think

• what I learn

• daily realizations

—I intend to write about these in a quiet way.

Not in a place that flows quickly,
but in a place where I can pause for a while.

Finally

Quitting social media
is not necessarily the right choice for everyone.

It has its convenient aspects,
and I believe there are people who need it.

However, if...

• you feel tired every time you look at social media

• you find yourself getting angry at things you don't even know

• your mind feels restless

If you have feelings like that,

choosing to distance yourself a little
might not be such a bad thing.

For me, the day I quit social media was,

the day I stepped away from phantom anger

it was.

The world doesn't change.

But,
my own heart became a little quieter.

I think that alone
was a sufficient change.

Past articles

#HSP
#SensitivePerson
#WayOfLife
#SelfUnderstanding
#SelfCare
#SelfAcceptance
#Introspection
#Sensitive
#SelfApproval
#PainOfTheTimes
#Empathy
#InformationFatigue
#SNSFatigue
#NewsFatigue
#MentalCare
#ProtectYourHeart
#GentleWayOfLiving
#PsychologyColumn
#CherishYourself
#ItsOkayToRest
#SNSFatigue
#InformationFatigue
#DigitalDetox
#QuittingSNS
#QuietInternet
#ProtectYourHeart
#DistanceFromInformation
#NoteArticle
#PhantomAnger