Deleted IG, X, FB, TikTok & started journaling

Four weeks ago I was visiting my parents after not having seen them for a few months. The second day all three of us were sitting in the living room on our phones. I started to feel weird about it. I felt it before but always chose to ignore it. We were not talking, not sharing like we used to, I could clearly feel the distance between us. I felt like there was so much still unsaid, so much to share and learn. We always ended up making small talk the first day and the second day was already followed by a wall of phones and minimal communication.

I’ve worked in big tech for more than a decade helping promote the very platforms that consume attention. I never really thought much of it until lately, reflecting on how my life has become. Difficulty maintaining attention long enough to read a good book, reaching for my phone during TV-shows and even during conversations with friends and family. I started to feel like I lost myself slowly without realising.

Two weeks ago, after ignoring what I knew I had to do, I finally decided to delete IG, FB, X and TikTok, all of it in one go.

It’s been weird, I feel like there’s a gap in my days, not a bad one, just empty space that’s waiting to be filled. I started journaling again, after so many years. Turns out I had a lot to say, many feelings about this topic that I had suppressed. I’m still working through them. I still grab for my phone a few times an hour without really opening anything useful, I assume that need will slowly fade as well.

I’m curious how the next few weeks will change and how I’ll feel. I’ll post another update in a month.

I’m curious if anyone else has felt and suppressed this lingering feeling “why am I not making the most of the time with my parents / loved ones at the moment”. Not knowing what to actually talk about anymore, where to start and how - After so many years of superficial communication.