The Big Social Media Smash!
Last year, I promised myself that I would find a way to curb my social media usage. I decided to embark on a one-year project to completely remove these platforms from my life.
I called this project "The Big Social Media Smash!" Don't ask me why I named it like that—I just wanted to! 🤣
Why I Felt the Need to Change?
- I was spending hours scrolling through posts that did nothing to improve my life or well-being.
- I had a hard time focusing on a single task without thinking about social media. There's this constant "itch" reminding me to check my feeds.
- I struggled to regulate my emotions, especially after reading or watching triggering content.
- I realized I was wasting my life. Instead of doing the things I love most—like writing stories—I chose to check social media just to get that quick, artificial dopamine hit.
What are the steps I did?
Step 1: I've read books about how social media platforms makes us addicted
- This makes me well-informed about how companies create psychological hooks that makes us feel addicted in their platforms.
- These books helped me reflect on my own impulses. I made it a habit to read at least one chapter a day to constantly remind myself why I wanted to get off social media.
My Reading List:
- 10 Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now – Jaron Lanier
- Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention – Johann Hari
- Smart Phone, Dumb Phone – Allen Carr
- Rage Inside the Machine – Robert Elliott Smith
- The Chaos Machine – Max Fisher
- Dopamine Nation – Anna Lembke, M.D.
Note: Even if it's really not about social media platforms, I added 'Dopamine Nation' because it gives good info about how our dopamine system works, and what are the right steps to do to have a stable dopamine baseline.
Step 2: I Identify My Own Triggers
By understanding my personal triggers, I slowly made it much harder for tech companies to pull me back in. While I had many triggers, these were the primary ones that used to keep me stuck:
Trigger #1: I felt that posting on social media is a way to express myself
I used to think posting on social media was the best way to express myself and get discovered as a content creator. However, the books I read made me realize that social media companies exploit the dream of being seen just to drive addiction—and I didn't want to be a part of that cycle anymore.
- Solution: If I need to use these sites for discoverability (which is understandable), I now use social media schedulers like Buffer so I can maintain visibility without logging in. I can also ask my virtual assistant/friend to post content on my behalf.
Trigger #2: I use social media to know the things happening around me
I thought being on social media meant staying well-informed. In reality, everything I saw was specially curated by an algorithm designed to keep me on the platform longer than intended.
- Solution: Once I realized this, I switched to watching scheduled news programs or reading the newspaper instead. This keeps me informed about what’s happening in my country without the addictive algorithmic pull.
Trigger #3: Boredom and Automatic Behavior
The scariest part was how unconsciously I opened these apps. Whenever I got bored, my fingers did the work for me without me even thinking. The moment I saw the Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok logo, I would immediately tap it.
- Solution: To stop this automatic behavior, I completely deleted those apps from my phone. In fact, I removed every single app that created an addictive pull. During the first few weeks, I felt terrible because my brain was BEGGING me to reinstall them! I know that that feeling needs to stop, that's why I promised myself that whenever I felt bored, I would read at least 1–2 pages of a physical book instead. Slowly but surely, this strategy worked, and I successfully replaced scrolling with reading.
What's the result of my 1 year project?
Now that it is July 2026, I can proudly say that I have successfully achieved my goals! I no longer feel the urge to be on social media! Looking back, I realize I never really needed those platforms anyway. Here are the benefits I’ve experienced:
- Better Mental Health: My mental clarity has improved drastically. Instead of turning to social media for validation, I rely on therapeutic outlets: writing stories, reading books, updating this blog, and watching movies with my girlfriend. I even have time for a daily 10-to-20-minute meditation!
- Improved Focus and Productivity: Removing these platforms gave me the headspace to think about what truly matters to me. It used to take me months to write a single chapter of my book; now, I have the drive and focus to write consistently.
- A Healthier Relationship with Technology: Now that social media is out of the picture, my next step is learning how to build a balanced relationship with the digital world. By understanding my triggers, I am taking the right steps to ensure I never slide back into my old habits.
P.S: I took that photo on Starbucks - Boracay. Just want to include that photo as a 'snippet' of my life. 🤣 That's all!