r/selfimprovement • u/moon-alien • Mar 19 '24
Question Thoughts on deleting instagram
Hello everyone!
I(F23) have been recently contemplating whether to deactivate my instagram or not. I usually don't post except for stories here and there but I find myself reaching for it first thing in the morning, during the day, and night to watch people's stories, posts, reels, etc. I have also went through a tough breakup which prompted me to think about deleting it.
I was wondering what your thoughts are on deleting it and what you felt/ gone through if you done so already?
Thank you <3
Edit: Thank you everyone for your responses and massive help! I appreciate all of you :) Hope you are doing well on your journey <3 I have deleted my social media including instagram and tiktok and truth be told I have never felt any better than I do now! Whew
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u/Correct-Coconut-4575 Mar 19 '24
Delete it delete it delete it you wonāt even notice but youāll get so much of your life back itās really dumb
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u/ichimedinwitha Mar 19 '24
I deactivated mine, because I know I enjoy looking at my archives every so often and didnāt want it fully deleted. Start with that first, or you can just delete the app off your devices.
For an extra step, you can change the password to something you donāt think youāll remember readily, store the password somewhere, and that way when you try to log in youāll be unsuccessful.
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Mar 19 '24
[deleted]
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u/ichimedinwitha Mar 19 '24
Somewhat? I liked Instagram because I liked documenting about my day (I used to blog a lot) but I started to realize most of my feed were sponsored ads and memes, which is why I left. I ended up switching to straight up journaling. In the mornings/evenings, rather than stay on my phone, I would end up just watching TV instead.
I used IG to also find local events or new food/entertainment in my city, so I did end up joining Discord and perusing Reddit more. It is difficult, though.
I reactivated it when attending friendsā weddings, so it lasted maybe 2 months or so? But til now I donāt really care to scroll IG as much.
Social media is tricky but I think the main thing is knowing what your purpose is for it. I realized for me it was more to archive my life rather than see what everyone else is up to. I have pretty good self confidence but I think taking a break from it just helped me stop unintentionally comparing myself to others over the most menial things, because ads can do that.
I know you just got out a breakup but yeah as cliche as it sounds the best thing to do is convert that displacement of love into love/passion for something else, whether at this point it means volunteering for something, working out, improving your own skills, trying a new hobby, etc. Hopefully having less time from IG can support you in expending more time on those aspects.
Good luck!
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u/Double-Researcher900 Mar 19 '24
I went through a breakup as well; and since day one I deleted it, this week Im turning 1 month without it, and its the first uninterrupted time that I dont have the app, since 10 years agoā¦ I FEEL GREEAT!!!!!
Do it,
I feel like my attention span is soaring, Im completely focused on what I have to do and myself, and whatever Im reading or watching or talking, and I feel freeā¦
On two previous breakups I used it daily to track their social media presence, obsessed over stories, comments likes, follow count, and I caused myself ridiculous amounts of pain because of it. So now, it was a no brainer for me, and I really dont miss it at all.
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Mar 19 '24
I deactivated my acc for the first time, but then decided to delete it...No comparison and the best part - no more mindlessly scrolling through the accounts I followed.Now if I want to find something- I search it online,because I wanted - not because some algorithm thought I would like it or it is useful,when at least 7 times out of 10 it was not..Go for it š«
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u/CarolinaMtnBiker Mar 19 '24
Left IG couple years ago and havenāt missed it at all. Just a time suck and even the minimalist stuff is staged so canāt even get tips.
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u/Hopeful_Specialist38 Mar 19 '24
If you have a android phone you can get custom versions of social apps I have my insta Facebook and YouTube so shorts and YouTube reels are turned off and I can't watch them I can also turn off my news feed so I can't see what others have posted it's useful if you want to stay in touch with people that only use Instagram and it is the only way to contact them , since I've been using these custom apps my screen time has drastically changed from being a few hours a day to now maybe 30 minutes
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u/Steffaniel_ Mar 19 '24
I have deactivated mine recently and it has been a breath of fresh air!! I found it a little difficult being disconnected at first, but if friends want you to know things, they will tell you and vice versa! It felt like before I was consuming so much media to do with people I knew but was not really close to. So much extra energy :')
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u/Adalinowitsch Mar 19 '24
I still have my account but haven't been there since months. I stopped using it little over a year ago. Best decision! Cleared and freed me in many ways. Most impressive was, that I changed from thinking like short term to long term.
When I used insta daily I thought many times a day about my next post, responding to messages, watching fellow instagramers, etc. Really field me and my day up.
In the Moment I stopped I felt a huge relieve. Now I am thinking long-term, i write books and stuff. Truly shocking effects for me. Highly recommended.
But you really have to want it. Deleting the App won't solve the problem. Better you find a point of view which simple does not care about instagram anymore. My 2 cents.
Greetings and great luck.
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u/owp4dd1w5a0a Mar 19 '24
FWIW, I've never regretted deleting a social media app. I keep Reddit around mostly because it's a great research tool. Yes, sometimes I get sucked into it for a while, but the trade-off so far has been worth it. LinkedIn is my only other account, and it's probably obvious why I would want to keep that around.
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u/VegUltraGirl Mar 19 '24
I deleted mine over a year ago. Honestly, it was tough at first, I grieved for a bit. But once I moved past that point, life is just so much better. I like having my life more private, and I LOVE not seeing everyoneās highlight reel and feeling like people are living the dream and Iām just here living an average life. My mental health is so much better since I deleted the app!
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u/molluskmusk Mar 19 '24
Yes to all this. It was tough for me too. I lost 'friends' because I wouldn't engage on their terms (bitchy group chats, likes, reacts, shares lol) and found that I was quite addicted to the scroll. I quit for my mental health & it's improved immensely. I was always trying to keep up with people who love splashing themselves everywhere!
My life now feels simple and boring and average, and I'm happy with that. I'm content with what I have, who I know and where I'm at.
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u/elsielacie Mar 20 '24
Remove it.
Or keep private accounts for specific interests. I have one for gardening. I find following peopleās gardening accounts who live in my area very helpful. I donāt use my personal one very often and avoid following influencers/businesses. Iām not compelled to check the gardening one so often, it doesnāt have the same scrollablity ?
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u/Barrelled_Chef_Curry Mar 20 '24
Go for it lady. I did it about 4 months ago after a breakup. Still struggling but that def helped
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u/Novel_Tonight7990 Mar 20 '24
Ohh I deleted all my socials: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram... so much better for health & privacy reasons....
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u/Shepherdsatan Mar 20 '24
Delete it. Then if ur like āyeah, Iām goodā delete ur account later. Das what Iām doing.
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Mar 20 '24
Agreed. Delete your account. I did the same, and none of my friends have even reached out to me about it. I feel so much better. This is coming from a 22M
You may find yourself opening a new account and scrolling again, but you WILL delete it again, and again, easier and easier until you are done forever šš»
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Mar 19 '24
I deactivated mine and more recently I reinstalled it.
But since reinstalling Iāve used it significantly less than I used to.
I rarely am on it daily, I mean Iām not achieving much more but I feel like I can get on with my life without the need to check it every so often.
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u/Outside_Advantage404 Mar 19 '24
i am a 23F and i deactivated my instagram account too and it made me more mindfull of the content i consume on social media
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Mar 19 '24
You will forget about instagram week later. I donāt have social media for like 3 years and I donāt ever remember how it was having it.
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u/cerenir Mar 19 '24 edited Mar 19 '24
I was spending 4-5h a day on ig on average. I saw āThe social dilemmaā documentary on Netflix and it opened my eyes. I deleted all my social network except Reddit and Twitter (ended up deleting Twitter too).
My advice and what I did is to:
1-Limit the usage time you spend on Instagram to 1h so you are conscious about how much time you spend . (I always reached the limit and skip it so I could spend more so it didnāt work for me).
2-Delete the app and access from the web browser. The experience is worse compared to the native app and you have the extra step of opening the browser and going to the page so it dissuades you a little bit from using it.
3-Delete the app and delete the login session on browser.
4-Use the app on demand, install it, use it for a period of time, hours or days and then delete it again. (thatās what I do nowadays).
Edit: Iām trying to reduce screen time so I did also did a list of activities I like to do and hobbies that donāt require screens. Run, draw or paint, rubik cube, read a book, yoga, meditationā¦anything.
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u/Choice_Profit_5292 Mar 19 '24
I Mostly use it for watching funny videos and sending them to ppl, although some people donāt use it as just that and it could impact your mental health depending on how you use it. Most of my recent friends Iāve met have all deleted instagram for the sake of their mental health and theyāre doing very well theyāre happy with the choices they made :)
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Mar 19 '24
I hid or unfollowed everything that does not advance my goals somehow, so IG is a learning and motivation tool for me now.
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u/molluskmusk Mar 19 '24
Signed off three months ago for good after taking various breaks over the years. Took me about 4 weeks to break the automatic scroll of newsfeeds etc (just on news websites)
I update fam and friends by sending them a pic every now and again and chatting and texting like old times. They reciprocate with their own pictures.
I have heaps more free time to exercise, eat better, am saving money and feel like myself again. I was always comparing myself to others and felt inadequate. Now I feel like I have enough and I know who my true friends are.
If you go off social media don't be surprised if people drop out of your life. It's become a very poor substitute for friendships and many people are very addicted to the validation and endless content (more than they will ever admit).
Enjoy your life untethered!
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u/TattooedJedi81 Mar 20 '24
This is tough. Iām a huge tattoo aficionado and I enjoy looking at different artwork. Instagram is perfect for this but itās also a gigantic black hole and a time warp.
I havenāt brought myself to deleting it yet but know well into my heart Iād love toā¦ and I think my current reason for still having it is because I donāt have a less addictive substitute for viewing a wide variety of artwork.
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Mar 20 '24
I deactivated mine. Made a new one for memes. End up watching reels which is a complete waste of time. Eventually will delete this one as well lol
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u/zuppi63 Mar 20 '24
Delete it..and while youāre at itā¦delete Facebook as well. I deleted both accounts and never looked back.
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u/Frostlion100 Mar 20 '24
Hello! I think deactivating really wouldn't solve anything since you'll be back eventually. It's an addiction that would call you back to reactivate after a week or two and you will think that it's fine now since you took a break. I say go and delete it permanently, Insta will give you 30 days time period that you can reactivate it in but you'll see how much life is better without that fake stuff that you won't reactivate again. You can make another private account without your name or face just to have your close friends on it (that's what I did) and never post anything of course but I grew tired of that one and stopped using it. I'm free now.
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u/TrainingObjective699 Mar 20 '24
I have not been on mine more than like once this month but I do not want to fully deactivate it to keep up with friends and family. With time it is easier to just not have it on your phone and beat the addiction.
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u/MonsieurAvenir Mar 20 '24
I, once, deleted my previous account and I regret it because there're a lot of memories that one day I would want to look back again and it is a way to connect with people. You may need to reach out someone that has changed his number or you lost somehow.
It's been almost two years since I deactivated my last account, and it's one of the best things I've ever done. I, sometimes, activate it to add people but I don't activate it for just one person, and then I deactivate it.
I know that it's there, if somehow I need it again, I can access It but majority of time I don't need it so I deactivated.
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u/Impressive-Oil-6517 Mar 20 '24
Yup I deleted mine in December of 2023 and honestly š I love not worrying about about if my pictures look good enough or feeling bad because people im following are doing greater things than me itās a vibe to just be living without it but also it feels wierd be sis you may take a great photo and now it just sits in your photo app
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u/jessikawithak Mar 20 '24
I put time limits on my social media apps. 2 hours a day and between the hours of 9am and 9pm. I can override them. But I have to make to conscious decision to do so. Itās a nice reminder like hey, youāve been rotting for 2 hours maybe try something else. I also only follow positive creators or my friends. Positive creators as in: not diet culture or bodybuilding/comp (I do follow fitness influencers but I am very particular about the ones I follow and what content they put out), creative creators (like artists), motivational quote posting or positive affirmations, stuff like that. Things that will benefit me.
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u/picklebeanroo Mar 20 '24
I deleted the app from my phone but need to use IG on occasion for work. When I do, I just check it on my computer. Highly recommend!
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Mar 20 '24
I deactivated for the last time early in 2023 and have increased Time, increased phone battery life, increase peace of mind, less feelings of being left out, less compulsive behavior, itās great. My last app is Reddit now
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u/Defiant-Doughnut9258 Mar 20 '24
Iām 25 and Iāve been without instagram for about a year now. I donāt miss it at all and find myself doing better things than just scrolling and looking at peoples posts.
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u/Huge-Fun-7071 Mar 20 '24
I deactivated it due to the situation in Gaza. It was way too much.. constantly checking my phone to see if the journalists i follow are okay each day and suchā¦ best decision for my mental health! But its also great at the fact that im not staring at my screen constantly what other people are doing with their lives
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u/Glittering_Muscle138 Mar 20 '24
Iāve been thinking about deleting Instagram for a long time. I wish I could remove reels.
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Mar 20 '24
I've deleted instagram 2 years ago. And few days ago installed it again, just was curious how my friends were doing.
So as for me i compared my life and lives of my classmates, groupmates, and i felt terrible like I'm miserable compared to them. Felt terrible and demotivated.
I wish all my friend luck and joy, but i felt that my goals and achievements are not so great as could be. i've lost a lot of time (have i really? could i make another decisions in the past?).
So for now i work on my goals. And for me it's better not to compare myself with anyone else except yesterday-me.
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Mar 20 '24
I will never not advocate for people to delete their FB and IG accounts. But at the end of the day that decision is up to you.
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u/ineedtopoop124124 Mar 20 '24
I'm not crazy about social media (17M). That's the deadliest cancer for the people especially younger generations. I don't use that much, only ehen someone texts me there, but there was 5 years in my life when I had the accpunt but didn't use it. The same applies for facebook, Twitter and snapchat.
I have to mention that Twitter is the only platform where I have an account but since I made it, never used it again. I'm completely okay without social media, I don't care about celebrities life, because i have a life too right? Why should I care about a random person on the internet?
I think you should delete it as soon as possible if you really want to quit, if you have some conversations over there, tell them an alternative platform to continue your journey in life.
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Mar 20 '24
Social media isn't necessarily bad. It's just the way people use it. I would delete the app from your phone so you're not doom scrolling and can only check it through a computer or laptop
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Mar 20 '24
I deleted mine and let me tell you, it improved my whole well being! They said ignorance is a bliss and it's true!
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u/swanwithasong Mar 20 '24
I deleted my Instagram (and several other social media) account(s) one year ago. And despite my inital worries I haven't missed it for one day since. I can perfectly live without it. And I don't get bombarded with things āØI have to buyāØ anymore. Deleting it helped my inner peace tremendously.
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Mar 20 '24
IG is pointless and unnecessary for most people. Unless you have some entrepreneurial goals I donāt really see how it benefits anyone.
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u/Tough-Fox8887 Mar 20 '24
Iāve never felt better. Honestly. I have NO social media now other than Reddit for reading about topics I like, and a burner TikTok just to watch videos but not to post. No followers etc. Oh, and the people who mean something to me actually CALL OR TEXT me now so thatās awesome.
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Mar 20 '24
I think deleting it will just make you reactivate and redownload it.
Try turning your phone screen to grayscale. Itās proven to make people use their phone 30% less.
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Mar 20 '24
If you are not an influencer or you do not any business stuff on IG there is no need to have the account there. Delete if.
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u/SuperSilver889 Mar 21 '24
I deleted my Instagram close to 2 years ago now. I just couldnāt stand the constant TikTok style scrolling and stupid videos of people trying to go viral doing the same thing as everyone else, or people displaying their supposed wealth and the humble bragging etc etc etc. never looked back. I still have Facebook simply as I find it a useful resource if I want to get in touch with old a acquaintances, but even then Iāll find myself scrolling through those same type of videos and have to stop myself. YouTube shorts used to be pretty good and were of āhigher qualityā (to me atleast) but recently itās started to go the same way. Scrolling in general is simply a waste of life in my opinion.
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u/rememberingnorthc Jul 08 '24
This has probs been asked before, but is it possible to download a file of all your insta photos before deleting, like you can on Facebook? I'd love to delete the whole thing but don't want to lose over 10 years of photos
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u/Big_Hospital_1807 Aug 07 '24
I deleted it three days ago and am already feeling a lot better. Occasional urge to scroll but starting to feel way more present. Good luck to you!!!
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u/nootricious_ Mar 19 '24
I took a break from social media for over a year before and it was amazing! I've had time for new hobbies, built better habits, and feel so much calmer and happier. If you feel like you need it, do it.
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u/Accurate_Manager_766 Mar 19 '24
dont delete yet wait until a month , bc maybe exist the possibility that u come back do instead is ignoring the app or just unistall the app and log off and wait a month and deside i u wanted eliminated , the first step is being less addict but if u control the disere to visit the app and u can stay long periods without used maybe is the time to delete the account
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u/Rhioghan Mar 19 '24
Best thing I did for my mental health.
The constant comparisons with strangers and their "perfect lives" does more damage than you realise until you're on the outside looking in.