A year without social media

Jonathan Cowie reflects on his year of giving up social media, and how it has simplified yet enriched his life

I just finished reading The Way Home by Mark Boyle. It’s a thought-provoking book about whether we would have a more meaningful existence if we lived as our ancestors did in preindustrial times.

The author gives up all modern technology to live on a remote smallholding. It’s a hard life with “no running water, no car, no electricity or any of the things it powers”, but one that he feels connects him to nature and what it means to be human. A line that made me laugh when I read it was: “A year after giving up social media I gave up electricity.”

It is now a year since I too gave up social media, but so far I am still reliant on electricity for my power.

I recently went on holiday to Indonesia. One day I did a waterfall trek; I decided to leave my phone at the hotel rather than risk getting it wet. No phone, and therefore no camera. It soon became obvious that the trip was essentially a series of social media photo opportunities: stop at this waterfall for a photo, pose at this viewpoint.

The guide knew all the best spots and all the best angles for the perfect photo. Without my smartphone (and with no social media anyway) it all seemed a bit pointless: I didn’t want to pose for yet another photo in front of a waterfall, I wanted to enjoy the experience of the trek.

It led me to thinking about photos in general. In much the same way that Instagram markets itself as a way of capturing memories, Kodak revolutionised the 20th century by bringing portable cameras and affordable film to a mass market. Memories became “Kodak moments” in much the same way as people “do it for the ‘Gram” today.

But what becomes of those Kodak moments? If you are my age you grew up with film cameras. Where are your photos now? Forgotten about in a box in the attic? There is a nostalgia about old photos – look at mum’s hair! – but how often do we actually look at them? It raises the question of how we remember the important moments in our lives.

Photographs may trigger happy memories, but when we are 90 years old will we be scrolling through our archived Instagram accounts reminiscing about that smashed avocado brunch we had in 2023?

When I tell people I have no social media, they often reply: “I would love to do that, but…” There is always a but. If you’re thinking of giving it up, just go for it. Your life will be both richer and simpler for it. After a few weeks or months of craving that dopamine hit you get from likes and scrolling (we all know that social media is designed by multinational technology conglomerates to be addictive, but it is only when you give it up that you realise just how manipulative those algorithms that control you really are) you won’t miss it at all. Read a book instead, think more, go for a swim.