SamPeople set resolutions when a new year begins. Many in my professional network chose their word of the year. I began an experiment inspired by Macquarie Dictionary’s word of the year and an Instagram post.
As a loyal customer of Apple since the launch of the Apple iPod and then the iPhone, I get access to my digital use statistics for every week. I was getting concerned with the dependence I had developed on social media platforms. Stats don’t lie. I studied stats for four years at university and am pretty good at identifying patterns when I see them.
Covid propelled me to leave my PhD and pursue entrepreneurship full time. My ventures, a marketing and design consulting firm and a customer experience focused startup, require every bit of my time. Losing a few dear ones in my life and living in a poly crisis had made time very precious for me. These factors increased a sense of urgency that I simply hadn’t felt before. I am also a wife and a mother to a teenage girl and tween boy. Was sharing details of my life or scrolling through the lives of friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and at times absolute strangers, really the best use of my time? It’s an enjoyable and engaging experience but the difficult answer to the question if I’m honest is “no”. Doomscrolling is not the best use of my time.
Macquarie Dictionary named ‘enshittification’ as 2024 Word of the Year. Enshittification is the gradual deterioration of a service or product brought about by a reduction in the quality of service provided, especially of an online platform as a consequence of profit seeking. The word is so apt and compelling at conveying what I have seen happen over the years that inspired by it, I intentionally chose to be less active on social media this year.
After some introspection, I announced my choice to go missing in action on social media with a post on Instagram.
A former student of mine from my decade of university teaching commented with sharing Oxford university’s word of year: brain rot. The poetic justice of cause and effect was clearly at play here. Enshittification causes brain rot. I reckon the sun really rises from the east because Macquarie in Australia named the word of the year for 2024 Enshittification. By the time the sunset in Oxford the word of the year was brain rot.
And so the experiment begins. After just five days, I’m already starting to feel a bit clearer, like I’m finally clearing the cobwebs from my brain. I am optimistic that my experiment will help me curb my social media addiction, while enhancing mindfulness, productivity, and wellbeing.
I welcome you to join the conversation. What are your biggest challenges when it comes to reducing your social media usage? Share your thoughts, questions, or any tips you have for navigating the digital world mindfully.
