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How hard is it to give up on social media?

By Mihail Nikolov

Published: Mar 02, 2018, 9:35 AM

26comments

How hard is it to give up on social media?

Ever since it's inception in 2005, Facebook has set a worldwide phenomenon by inventing the 'social media' term. The latter is responsible for revolutionizing the way we communicate and is being used by everyone – from kids to multi-billion businesses. Having such a role in our lives, it should come as no surprise some concerns have emerged regarding the addiction rate of such a service and how hard it is to live without any social media interactions. Well, the majority still thinks it's not hard, but there is some worrying data, too.

According to a research by Pew Research Center, 59% of surveyed social media users say it is not that hard to live without it. People said they could leave social media anytime and nothing would stop them. The age demographic research shows people who are 55+ old are most likely to live without social media, as voted by 66%.

On the other hand, 40% of surveyed admit they can't give up social media by any means. You also wouldn't be surprised to hear it's hardest for the majority of people aged 18-24 to give up on social media – 51% of them to be exact. This is not surprising, as it is widely known fact social media is preferred by younger people.

This information seems quite worrying, as the percentage of people, who say they'll have a tough time giving up social media, has raised from the 28% back in 2014, when the same research was conducted.

However, if you are one of the 40% struggling to stay away from social media, here are a couple of tips that could help you retract from your virtual ego:

1. Socialize in real life – Our first tip is quite straightforward. Most of the people use social media... well, for socializing. But, guess what, you can do that in real life too! And it seems to help too, as people who socialize more in real life tend to spend less time in the virtual agora.

2. Think before posting – Yeah, we know how tempting it is to upload a picture of the near perfect mac-and-cheese you've just prepared, but if you'll be uploading your 10th food picture for the week, and it's only Tuesday, it will be better you skip it.

3. Calling over chatting – This is a bit of a continuation of tip number one, but when you can choose between calling someone or chatting, just call them instead. Do it the old-school way, as you'll have to express emotions without using emojis and you'll also train your social skills.

4. Do a "no social media" weekend – Some of you probably had a panic attack while reading this one, but trust us, it is the ultimate test to determine whether or not you can live without social networks. The weekends are also the perfect time for the test, as we tend to have the most free time then and not checking your accounts would represent a challenge indeed.

5. Live your life, not their – May sound a bit harsh at first, but hear us on this one – if you're busy enough with your own life, you wouldn't even care about theirs (your social media friends). Also, when you think about social media, check a news site instead – you'll become more knowledgeable and you won't be bothered by other people's issues (or food pics).

What about you, our beloved reader? Can you live without social media for a day or two? Leave your opinions and tips below. Also, don't forget to check our Facebook pa... just kidding.

source: PEW Internet, via CNet

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How hard is it to give up on social media?

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