By Aditi Malaviya
For the span of five years beginning from 11th standard to all 3 years of college, I used social media. The consistent use in the initial years felt liberating. Interacting with new people and staying in touch with the acquaintances gave the feeling of pleasure. The constant availability of friends being online, fondness of regular posting to stay trendy and the fixation of being called relatable and aesthetic felt like the purpose of life. Fast forward to the year 2020 – Instagram introduced us to reels and Youtubegave us shorts. And this is where things started falling apart. The time when social media shifted from fresh conversations to endless scrolling.
For the three years after 2020 that I used social media platforms, I saw a noticeable change in every smartphone user. Necks bent – staring into screens, constant feeling of lethargy, the facade of consuming valuable content behind worsening attention spans, staying up late in the night doom scrolling into nothingness. The impact was widespread and signalled imminent measures to be taken.
If we look at it from a formal perspective, the Oxford dictionary’s word of the year in 2024 was ‘brain rot’ and in successive year 2025- ‘rage bait.’ Brain rot describes the supposed mental or cognitive decline caused by overconsumption of low-quality, trivial social media content, reflecting concerns about digital fatigue. I was no exception. My attention span shrank drastically. I found it harder to concentrate. I did not engage in hobbies that I enjoyed prior to the global social media infestation.
On the other hand, there is rage bait. Rage bait refers to online content deliberately designed to provoke anger or outrage to boost engagement, clicks, and traffic. It reflects the growing influence of digital, algorithm-driven, and often polarizing content on modern life.
Do you notice a pattern here? Shrinking attention spans and ever reducing involvement in nonscreen activities. We as an audience are purposefully fed content that keeps us hooked without even wanting to. We have replaced the concept of being mere spectators and are catered toward as products. To put into perspective, citing an example of skincare brands. Reduced market barriers, boom in influencer and content creation marketing, regular trends, and direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales have enabled more and more brands to emerge and prey on the consumers. This change is evident in the shift from legacy brands to the trend driven and transitory ones.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. The primary issue is the dependency on platforms like Instagram, X, Snapchat, Reddit, Facebook etc. Naturally, these questions arise. How can one live a meaningful life without social media in today’s age? Is it possible to have a life outside of social media?
What activities to be engaged in if not social media?I too had all these questions when I deleted my accounts across the various platforms. It has been around 1.5 years since I almost entirely stopped using social media. The decision to step away was not at all easy. I feared that I will lose touch with my friends, people will forget about me, how will I stay updated about new trends? How will I cope? But it was necessary to venture in a new direction in order to gain control over my life, my interests, my time, my purchasing patterns and most importantly- my brain. It was about realizing that social media doesn’t steal time. It steals direction.Gradually, after trying different activities and cultivating them as habits – I started living a life that was so much more fulfilling and meaningful. I started becoming a better person. Below is a list of habits I cultivated over the past 18 months that have helped me to stay updated, enjoy, unwind and in the process – given me a purpose. I believe that these habits will be of utmost use of anyone who wants to step back from the social media.
1. Podcasts: I started listening to podcasts while commuting, during my walks and in between study breaks. I started listening to shorter episodes and then gradually moving on to the more detailed ones.Podcasts are a useful way to learn about current global affairs, stories from your favourite genre, business and personal growth. Podcasts transition one from “visual overstimulation” to “auditory focus.” They helped me replace passive scrolling with intentional listening.Start here: 3 Things Podcast (for current affairs), Let’s Not Meet (true crime stories), Reddit Explains Conspiracy, Controversy And The Unknown (supernatural, conspiracy and crime stories), The Huberman Lab Podcast (action-based tools for personal growth and everyday life).
2. Reading: The best habit one can cultivate in their life. I have naturally been a reader since my early teens. Reading, especially fiction involves engaging narratives, emotionally mature and complex characters, imagined locations. You can explore genres like romance, mystery, thriller and fantasy to begin reading with. Reading boosts empathy, increases emotional intelligence and focus. It reduces stress and offers therapeutic escapism. It is an excellent way to spend free time.Start here: books by Carolyn Keene, Sudha Murthy, JK Rowling, Roald Dahl, Ruskin Bond, Karen M McManus.
3. Reading blogs and starting a blog page: Reading blogs is essentially reading in a concise format. They will be beneficial for someone who finds it difficult to delve straightaway into books. Blogs offer short and crisp content in an easier to read language. You can find amultitude of blogs about topics of your interest.Writing blogs is another exceptional way to engage with the digital ecosystem. You can learn about different fields and write your opinions about it. Writing blogs will help you gain awareness, develop an opinion, ability to communicate clearly and increase your productivity.Start here: Aeon, Psyche, Medium (for reading). Medium, wordpress (for writing)
4. Competitive exams: From my personal experience while preparing for one of the prestigious exams of the country, removing social media during the preparation phase was a necessity.If you are someone who is preparing for a competitive exam or a tournament, staying off social media is important. It will drastically reduce distractions, increase concentration and yield favourable results.Your desired life could be just on the other side of distractions. In the end, the sacrifice will be so worth it.
5. Board games and colouring: I had just left the social media and was trying to find activities to spend my time in. Sadly, almost no one was playing board games or doing colouring or art.I had some of my old colouring books and started colouring one day. It brought me so much calm, peace and inner joy. It worked because it is tactile. My inner child was having the time of her life.Around the same time, I also started playing board games like UNO, Monopoly etc.Playing board games will bring you so much joy. It is “Real World” dopamine6. Learning new skills:
learning new skills is something that will be advantageous for anyone in the long run. A new skill could differ person to person. Few skills that helped me and can also help you are learning to cook, learning different languages, managing emotions, time management, attaining financial literacy, pursuing courses, taking care of your health by following a form of workout, learning about nutrition, etc.These skills are crucial for a meaningful and successful life. They prepare you for the dynamic nature of life. Mastering these skills fosters independence, mental health and confidence.They improve career prospects, relationships and reduce reliance on others.
In the beginning it will be difficult for you to adapt to this sudden change. But remember, it is for a greater good. Mindfulness and awareness while developing these positive habits will take you a long way. We have infinite potential within us. It is all about how well we utilise it. To all of you who want to quit social media, consider my words as your sign. Give yourself time and reap the benefits of your efforts.Leaving social media did not make my life extraordinary. It simply made it mine again.
