Why minimalists rarely or never use social media? I will summarize this question in this article. Eliminating social media: a minimalist's experience 😉
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Introduction
⚠️ The purpose of this article is not to engage in anti-social media propaganda.
Social media can be useful, even essential in certain situations. I simply want to share my personal experience: what I gained, what I lost, and what I learned by gradually removing certain social media platforms from my life.
Note that although I will mainly be talking about Facebook, the reflection also applies to other platforms such as Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
Why did I delete Facebook?
I created my Facebook account around 2006. At the time, it was my first social network and I was even one of the first in my circle to use it.
Initially, the goal was very simple: to stay in touch with my loved ones and share some moments of my life.
But as the years went by, my usage gradually changed. Around 2016, I finally decided to permanently delete my Facebook account.
This decision wasn't immediate. I had many questions:
- Was I going to lose contact with certain people?
- Was I going to be bored?
- Was I going to be disconnected from the world?
My main fear was that I would no longer be able to easily keep up with the lives of my loved ones.
However, another question was becoming increasingly important: How much time was I actually spending on something that was bringing me less and less value?
I felt like I was spending a lot of time scrolling through posts, a large portion of which ultimately didn't interest me.
So I decided to conduct a radical experiment: delete Facebook and observe what would actually change in my life.
And the results were quite surprising.
Note: In this article, I mention Facebook, but this article is not aimed at Facebook specifically; this article focuses on the negative and positive effects of using a social network..
Here are 5 changes I've noticed:
1. I've regained some free time
The first benefit was very tangible: I've regained some free time.
The time I previously spent consulting publications could now be used for other purposes, for example:
- arrange meetings with my friends or family
- preparing my vacation
- play sports
- to walk in nature
- spending time with my cats, my family or my friends
- develop personal projects
There's something rather ironic about that: By removing a so-called "social" network, my life has become more social.
Instead of virtually watching what others were doing, I started to live my own experiences with other people.
Today, messaging apps still allow me to easily communicate with my loved ones, but with one important difference: I am more selective about who I communicate with and when I do so.
2. I have less desire to consume
Another change has been my relationship with consumption.
Social media constantly blends entertainment, content, recommendations, and advertising. Even when you're not looking to buy something, you can regularly be exposed to products, brands, or lifestyles that make you want to consume.
By drastically reducing my exposure to this content, I found that I felt like buying things less often.
This is a particularly interesting consequence in a minimalist and frugal approach.
3. I became more aware of information "bubbles".
Social media platforms are designed to present you with content that is likely to capture your attention.
This can be very practical: you can quickly find the topics that interest you.
But there is also a risk: By constantly seeing opinions and content that correspond to your interests, you can end up living in a real information bubble.
If you mainly consult people who think like you, you are likely to gradually encounter different opinions less often.
The problem isn't necessarily being exposed to content that interests us. The problem arises when This content is becoming virtually our only source of information.
You may then get the impression that your digital environment perfectly reflects reality, when in reality it only represents a personalized selection of it.
Since I reduced my use of social media, I pay more attention to diversifying my sources of information and comparing my opinions with other points of view.
4. I compare myself less to others
Social media platforms typically present a selection of life moments.
Holidays, restaurants, professional successes, travel, meetings, projects… We naturally share more positive moments than difficult periods.
The problem is that you're comparing then Your real life versus the facade of others.
In everyday life, when you talk with a friend, you generally know the good and bad times they are going through.
On social media, you can get the impression that everyone is traveling, successful, enjoying life and is constantly happy.
Obviously, that's not reality.
By reducing my exposure to this content, I found that I compared myself less to others. I focused more on my own life rather than on the one that others chose to show.
5. My concentration has improved
One final important benefit of removing certain social media networks: my concentration.
Notifications are a constant source of interruption: new message, new post, invitation, comment, news…
In reality, removing social media allows you to be less distracted and also more focused.
What I learned from "Behind Our Smoke Screens"«
The Netflix documentary Behind our smoke screens* (The Social Dilemma) allowed me to better understand certain mechanisms that I had already observed in my use of social networks.
The documentary explains how platforms use algorithms to select content likely to capture our attention. The longer we stay on a platform, the more content and advertising we are exposed to. Our attention thus becomes an economic resource.
This made me reflect on my own behavior: why do I check my phone for no reason? Why do I keep scrolling through posts when I no longer find them interesting?
The documentary also addresses how personalized recommendations work. By primarily offering us content that matches our interests, algorithms can contribute to trapping us in an information "bubble" and limiting our exposure to different opinions.
I do not consider this documentary to be an absolute truth: it deliberately presents a very critical view of social media.
On the other hand, it allowed me to understand better why these platforms can be so difficult to leave and why regaining control of one's attention can be beneficial.
In the series, there's one phrase that stuck with me that sums up social media:
" “When you don't pay for a product, it means you are the product.“. »
— Behind our smoke screens
Social networks also have advantages
Reading this article so far, you might think I've become anti-social media. That's not the case.
I do not consider social media to be inherently bad.
They can be extremely useful, especially in a professional context.
Personally, I use LinkedIn and YouTube, for example, to develop a community and share content.
But compared to before, I only use them to develop my business, not to see what others are doing or saying.
For a business, a freelancer, or a content creator, social media can allow you to:
- develop its visibility
- communicate with its audience
- find new customers
- present its products or services
- create a community
- to share one's expertise.
The question is therefore not necessarily: «"Should we get rid of social media?"»
The better question is rather: «"Does this social network provide me with enough value in relation to the time and attention it demands?"»
A minimalist approach to social networks
This is where minimalism becomes particularly interesting.
A minimalist generally seeks to prioritize quality rather than quantity.
- Why follow 500 accounts if only 20 posts actually interest you?
- Why keep an app that wastes several hours a week if it gives you almost nothing?
- And why receive dozens of notifications when only a few are actually important?
Therefore, you can apply the same principles to social media as to your possessions:
Keep what is useful, remove what is not, and limit what is superfluous.
In my experience, deleting or removing things is more useful in life than keeping trivialities.
Conclusion
My experience has shown me that deleting Facebook did not cut me off from the world.
On the contrary, I have regained time, reduced some consumer desires, improved my concentration and devoted more time to relationships and activities that really matter to me.
If you don't ask if I regret my choice? No, I'm super happy to have freed myself from certain social networks.
However, I don't think everyone should delete their social media accounts.
I myself currently have a LinkedIn and Youtube account, but I only use it in a professional and business context.
Minimalism isn't about applying the same rule to everyone. It's about keeping what truly brings value and eliminating what clutters our lives.
To summarize, here is my opinion:
- If you only use social media for your private life, deleting it is an option worth seriously considering.
- If you use social media to grow your business, it's a good option, but only if you use it professionally and in a limited way.
Eliminating Social Media: A Minimalist's Experience
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About me
I decided to create this blog to develop and help readers who are looking for a simpler and more economical life.
Compared to before, I was a person who consumed a lot until the day I realized that my consumption made me sadder and poorer 😑
Now I prefer the minimum of my needs to be happy and achieve my financial freedom.
Without realizingI started to focus on saving and investing to depend on a boss for as little time as possible and to speed up my personal projects.
As a result, I am getting richer in a way that I never imagined since I have an average salary in Switzerland.
It is for this purpose that I decided to create this blog. In order to share and learn with other people who seek freedom and simplicity 😉
Are you rather minimalist or frugal Jonny?
I am as minimalist as I am frugalist. However, there are situations where I lean more towards an art of life.
To conclude, I think the most important thing is to feel comfortable in your lifestyle 😊
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