How many times have you met someone new, or reconnected with someone from your past, and within minutes, they ask: “Hey, what’s your handle?”
It has become the norm. But in the process, it feels like individuality has taken a backseat. We simply can’t connect with someone without having to direct the individual to a platform of curated pictures and videos. Am I odd or just can’t relate? Are we as humans and who God created us to be, are we thinking for ourselves, or just keeping up with the Joneses? Are we truly connecting, or just scrolling, lurking, and silently observing lives we no longer actively participate in? These are questions that come to mind.
In 2020, I made a conscious decision to leave all social media platforms which include (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat). I briefly returned to Instagram for a while, but ultimately stepped away for good in 2022. I began to feel a disconnect. A disconnect between posting life updates and actually living those moments. A disconnect between online interactions and in-person relationships. This wasn’t a decision made lightly. It came from a deeper shift within me, a desire to be more present in the life that I am blessed with, to observe more intentionally, and to become more in tune with who I truly am, rather than who I was expected to be.
I remember meeting up with an ex-friend a few years ago. Someone we both knew came up in conversation. I don’t believe this is someone they are in communication with, but was very comfortable to say “I follow them on Instagram and I watch their stories all the time.” To me, that summed up everything wrong with our digital age. We post our lives online, yet many people follow only to passively keep up, form opinions, not to connect, not to reach out, not to care deeply, but simply to watch. That isn’t real connection.
Over the years, I have continuously prayed to God for discernment, because this is one of the best gifts one can have while on this earth. I have genuinely found peace in stepping away, and learning to build more meaningful, intentional, and genuine relationships in my life.
As humans are wired for connection. We want to be seen, heard, and understood. Social media provides the opportunity to do that, but often delivers the opposite. So where do we draw the line? How do we discern what’s healthy for us and what’s not?
Since being off social media, I have leaned into other things that feed my curiosity and growth. YouTube has become a source of learning and inspiration. And beyond that, I have noticed some powerful shifts:
- I am becoming more comfortable with speaking my mind and sharing my thoughts even if no one agrees.
- I have become more curious about the world around me.
- I find more joy and presence in my hobbies.
- I enjoy having in-depth conversations that get me thinking outside of the box.
- I am more adventurous and take more risks to see where life will lead me to.
- I am living my life fully, not through a lens, and not for likes.
- I am becoming more and more in tune with my emotions, needs, and boundaries.
I don’t share this to convince you to delete your accounts. I share this to offer a perspective. To remind you that there’s life beyond the scroll of the digital age. To remind you, that it’s okay to disconnect from the noise, and reconnect with yourself.
Go outside, touch some grass, and embrace the nature which God has blessed us with.
Vanessa Korboi 