Tif Cohen

Back in April 2022, I decided to take a break from social media, more specifically: Instagram and Facebook. I could not stop myself from scrolling Instagram in any free moment I had. I would “just check” the app at least 100 times a day. Facebook was not as frequent, but I couldn’t remember a recent pleasant experience from the platform. I would often leave the experience feeling angry or dirty or alone. Odd for a platform whose initial objective was to connect people. 

I took off all of April, hopped on to chat about my experience for a day or two in May, and took the rest of the month off. I hopped back on in the beginning of June to give updates on my writing and tease a new project. That new project was announced mid June and was my podcast: The Way Things Go There. Since the release of the podcast, I have been on much more. I have been on daily since the launch of the podcast’s first full episode, which was June 25th. Looking at the calendar while I write this, it is June 29th. I have already felt the familiar pains I was running from back in March that drove me to walking away all of April and May. I feel like I’m not being supportive enough of the people I want to see succeed. I feel like I’m not doing enough. I feel like I should have been doing more. I feel disconnected. I want to connect. It’s all a clutter of emotions – none of which I want. 

When I wasn’t on, I felt connection. I sought out those I wanted to win. Of course I wasn’t able to reach all of them without logging on, but I trusted that it was okay.  I was optimistic about my goals. I was looking forward to the next things. It reminds me of food. Sometimes you’re hungry and you just need something to satisfy the hunger so you grab a granola bar. It’s great while you’re chewing but the moment you are done, the satisfaction is gone and you need something more. Yet – if I were to take the time to select ingredients, create something, sit down, and eat a sandwich, I would be satisfied. Instagram and Facebook are not intentional. They are marketing tools. I am learning to treat them as such instead of as my sole outlet for connection. 

The original post about my detox can be found here. It inspired a handful of people to examine what the H E double hockey sticks they were doing on social media too. I was surprised it resonated. And then again I wasn’t. Social Media is dead. At least the version of it that it was. I’m eager to try this IRL (in real life) thing again.