It’s a notion that resurfaces in the frontal lobe of my brain quite often. To delete everything and go off the grid (of social media). The number of repeated cycles that surface on my screen time and time again becomes fatiguing as a lack of originality seems apparent yet that one different idea either receives little recognition or inspires others to copy-paste in a way that causes the original idea to become lost. In most fields, it’s necessary to follow media trends for a company to maintain relevance, so I guess all my accounts are staying signed in… for now.
I do find solace in being a part of the internet community when a running joke resurfaces like hearing “Cbat” by Hudson Mohawke and immediately thinking about a Reddit user who played this song with his girlfriend. Or a specific era of “You had to be there” where interviews were turned into songs, online challenges, and hauls that fostered a common ground for people to gauge how deep below the iceberg of being “chronically online” they were. I’ve spent my fair share on YouTube watching Annoying Orange and Asdfmovie which was a strange culture because it was weird, yes. However, it made sense. Now, there’s Skibidi Toilet and not to sound like one of those “back in my day” people, but it is one of the most confusing videos my eyes have seen.
The amount of time spent engaging with comments or content dictates your relationship with being online as a whole. If it’s a place that helps you decompress and disconnect from the world, then obviously those emotions towards social media are tranquil because it’s used as a form of escapism. For others, it’s a place of debate and constant back-and-forth, which just seems draining yet invigorating for some. I fit into both, especially with TikTok because it’s funny (for the most part) and sometimes I get inspired to try new places around the city or hear opinions from people about events or media that interest me and act as a spectator on the side.
Like most deeply immersive habits, it can be overwhelming in the sense of having tunnel vision on what you’ve been exposed to and nonstop thinking about the subject. Whether it be something news-related, a book, the release of a game, etc., the disclaimer of “for entertainment purposes only” is voided as media feels consuming, good or bad.
These times are when I make the proposal of deleting any and everything social media-related and just refuse to know what’s happening online. To focus on college and the assignments, networking and the overall planning of what I’m going to do post-graduation and devoting spare time to reading, walks, hobbies and only going on my phone when it’s needed. Even that sounds like taking a break rather than the luxury of dialing back from the Internet for leisure purposes for an extensive period, say five months. Then having to google or ask a friend about the references or AAVE-turned “Gen Z” slang used in videos if you do decide to log back in. A time of introspection and presentness that seems appealing, but can be at the cost of becoming tone-deaf and distant from the lives and situations people are living through and choose to share.
Despite not personally knowing the other 8 billion people on the planet, there have been so many events that have occurred in just the past year that we have made memes about or sympathized with and have created an online bond because of it. To think about how the online culture would differ if one person decided to not be involved is a possibility playing out in an alternate timeline. I believe experiences shape a person to be the way they are and internet usage has been a primary part of the lives of Gen Z from the start. We have an advantage over those who had and still are adapting to technology because it’s something that’s been incorporated into our everyday activities.
The internet isn’t going anywhere (unless it crashes) so limiting screen usage or developing a balance between being online and things to do offline is a plausible way to deal with these urges to unplug. Even so, I can’t shake the feeling of being involved. And that’s okay.
