Citing the stress of engaging with sites like Facebook and Instagram, many users deactivate their social media accounts for their emotional well-being, while others enjoy these platforms as a way of connecting with friends and family. The Onion presents the pros and cons of quitting social media:
PRO
- All the colors, brightness of a world unimpeded by Amaro filtering
- Interactions with colleagues limited to eight hours per day
- One less barrier between you and friendly strangers on the bus looking to make conversation
- No longer bound by prohibitive monthly user fees
- Makes it easier to appreciate all the other organic sources of stress and insecurity life has to offer
- Only chance to lower Mark Zuckerberg’s net worth by roughly .00000000001 percent
- Concrete proof that you are a fascinating iconoclast
CON
- Gradual loss of hashtagging, geotagging skills
- Having to send out invites to your upcoming improv show via courier
- Potential to become dangerously overconfident without a constant, direct comparison of your life to everyone else’s
- Endless pining for ex-lover limited to pictures saved on hard drive
- Unreliable offline metrics as to which House Of Cards character you are
- Harder to keep in touch with family and friends’ idealized facsimiles