Why I Deleted My Snapchat (And Other Social Media Apps)

By Christina Oehler on February 9, 2015

I have found, on more than one occasion, that I am sitting amidst a conversation to which I cannot contribute. Obviously, we will all find ourselves in situations like this, where the conversation is lead in a direction that we simply have no input on- whether we don’t know enough about the topic or we have never met the people being discussed.

This is an inevitable aspect of socializing: we can’t know everything. Yet lately I have found that the main reason I cannot contribute to said conversations is because I have chosen not to use some of the most popular social media apps: Snapchat, YikYak and Twitter.

About a year ago, I found myself completely glued to my phone because of these programs. I was constantly watching five-second videos of someone’s night out or scrolling through a forum of anonymous comments. These apps consumed me; I was constantly receiving pictures and videos and attempting to keep up with others’ tweets.

Finally, I was so fed up with attempting to control all of these social media platforms while also maintaining face-to-face, personal relationships that I decided something had to give.

Unfortunately, this decision didn’t come without its drawbacks. I have realized just how many conversations around me revolve around these apps: “Did you see her snap story?” “Why is he following her on Twitter?” “Did you read what someone wrote about them on YikYak?”

Despite the fact that I can no longer reference the public drama of acquaintances, I have found that removing myself from this network has given me clarity.

I no longer care about the petty drama of those around me.

I no longer feel as though I am missing out on some social event.

I no longer worry about what people are saying on these platforms, because I can’t see it.

Truthfully, I still use a variety of social media apps to keep in touch with friends and family, but I have found that eliminating some of them has given me more time to focus on real activities, rather than simply letting pointless interactions consume my time.

Deleting these apps has given me the ability to focus on my own life, rather than spending my time watching those around me live theirs.

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