This WebLog serves as an update to a previous post: Digital Minimalism - 01/25/22

As of 02/06/22, I have deleted Instagram! This is very exciting for me, as I think that Facebook Meta or whatver the fuck he's (mark zuckerberg) is trying to accomplish nowadays is starting to feel like an empire. My screen time in total for my cellphone has been alarming recently, so I'm trying to cut back at the main source: INSTAGRAM !!!! It's actually kind of embarassing how much time I spend on it, ~2-3 hours a day is kind of a lot when you think about it. It's a little funny to me that I used to be worried about sleep being wasted time when I just sit on my phone or computer all day in real life... sad. I want to try to have more real-world attatchments, like going to coffee shops or reading books, or crafting. Yes, digital media is cool and all, but blue light really isn't the best for your eyes. At least for me, I'd like to spend some more of my time with a bit more intent. I love doing nothing, doing what I want, being allowed to be lazy without feeling I'm wasting my time. BUT there is a limit to that, and my limit is INSTAGRAM !!!!!! I have spent way too much time on it, so for now I have deleted the app from my phone and I want to try to see where it goes from there.. I'm pretty excited :>)

As of right now, I am on hour 302 of the aforementioned "Me Time" Function, and I have to be honest..... I have let quite a few uneccessary applications slip past that "you're not allowed to use this" barrier (i.e. I was letting myself use silly apps that I didn't need to be using... such as INSTAGRAM). So, my break from IG didn't last so long, but now I am hoping it will last more when I am able to completely eradicate it from my cellular device. The next step is to delete my account.. I think I will be doing that on the computer, as it would be too tempting to just get sucked into endlessly scrolling if I were to re-install it.

I used to follow quite a few gore accounts and edgy meme pages on IG, and while one solution to the problem COULD be to simply unfollow those accounts, I also do not like the way that instagram functions as a whole. I love blogging, keeping track of what I do and what happens (for both helping out my memory and self-expression), but instagram is a bit too much... [i don't really know what word to use here] for me. that's it, it's just too much. With the new Messaging update, it's obviously merging the code that Facebook Messenger used, and while it's cool to use, it just feels odd for me. Instagram also has a "reels" feature, and even after I deleted tiktok, I found myself just getting sucked onto reels again, an immediate replacement for what I thought was a done deal. There's also the question of, "If I'm deleting this app that ties me to so many of my peers, is that just another form of isolation?". And in my opinion, no, it isn't. I still have PLENTY of ways to connect with others, and at this point I have everyone on something else that I am able to use, so isolation isn't really the motive here.

I want my smart phone to emulate a flip phone.. in the previous blog I mentioned how the pros and cons of switching back to a flip phone aren't realistic for my current conditions, which I still stand by (somewhat). But, it doesn't mean that I can't get as close to that as possible. I got the numbers of some people that I need to text, and as for instagram. Goodbye! I still have ibispaint available for use, alongside snapchat and discord, with a few other apps like spotify that are just useful to me. I'm really excited to see how this plays out.. will i stick to digital minimalism? Will i say fuck it, and start spending even more time on my phone? I don't even really play games or anything, apart from solitare and snake and such. I just spend a loooot of time messaging people, which is cool, I adore keeping in touch with others. BUT, it isn't what I need to be doing constantly, 24/7. I need to be able to spend time by myself. I think it's a really neat thing to be able to be alone, you know? To be alone.. with yourself, nothing but your concious. It feels so freeing.

To wrap this up, I think next time I'll post my thoughts and what the experience of not having as many apps has been like. This update wasn't really structured at all, I just laid my thoughts down on paper, haha. See you next time.

Written 02/06/22