Thinking Out LoudI’m an avid and somewhat addicted Instagram user, to the point that I recently (to my horror) realised I lost a whole day of my life to the app in just one week. I grieve the time wasted; people I could have seen, adventures I could have had, things I could have crocheted.
But even after this revelation, I find it hard to imagine Instagram not always being a finger tap away. It’s my source of information, connection and, most frequently, entertainment.
Ironically, I saw an Instagram reel explaining how Instagram hacks the way our brains work. Engineers continually create new things like infinite scroll, personalised algorithms, social-validation feedback loops, and push notifications to keep us in the app. And swiping exploits our novelty-seeking behaviour. How am I meant to reduce time I’m losing to the app when I’m competing with engineers and my own brain?
The beauty of Instagram is in its accessibility and variety, created by humans for human convenience. But the tangible world is one that, as a Christian, I believe God created to richly provide us with enjoyment. Instagram now has me peering through a window at the world, feeding me a kaleidoscope of pixels that make the real world – the world of bright colours and vast landscapes – seem somehow dull.
So, I’ve implemented tactical measures. My phone is now greyscale, making it less enticing. I’ve turned off Instagram notifications and hidden social media apps from my home screen.
My hope is that these changes will make me more likely to look up from my phone screen and to once again prefer life in the real world – the world I was created for.
This Thinking Out Loud was first published on Facebook.