Three ways to go on a digital detox.

If you haven’t done so already, we predict that at some point you will be weighing up the pros and cons of a digital detox – deleting all social media so you can reconnect with yourself, others, nature, your dog, or all of the above. Concerns regarding the effect of social media on our day-to-day lives is not a recent phenomenon. So just how detrimental is screen time to our quality of life?

Ms Katherine Ormerod, journalist, panellist, social-media influencer and author of Why Social Media Is Ruining Your Life, explores key issues within the digital environment and provides some discerning advice on how we can improve our relationships with our phones. Why should we be worried? Social media can have a negative effect on anything ranging from your mood to your relationships. A 2014 survey conducted by disability charity Scope found that about 60 per cent of social-media users felt jealous and/or inadequate in comparison with others’ achievements, and psychologists have expressed concern over Instagram’s detrimental effects on mental health, as found in a 2017 poll from The Royal Society for Public Health. So, to help you get started on managing your approach to social media a little better, here are three key tips to remember while navigating the Instasphere.

“Cut yourself some slack,” Ms Ormerod advises while delving into the effect of social media on one’s identity. Instead of focusing on a carefully curated feed, she suggests “interspersing your positive spin with occasional more realistic posts and admissions of challenges”. This is something Ms Ormerod has recently begun to do on her own Instagram, for example when she explained the reality behind a smiling photograph of herself at Glastonbury: “I ended up leaving Glasto after one night sodden, drenched and totally, totally over it.” Instead of posting an insufferable slideshow of the activated charcoal smoothie you made for breakfast, show your followers the “activated” (read burned) toast instead.

As many of us are all too painfully aware, resisting the need to scroll after you’ve had a few is advisable. Who knows what might come out in a tweet? What picture of your ex you might accidently double tap? What “abs for days” workout selfie might leave you feeling inadequate? Trust us – along with the hangover, it’s not worth it. As a pre-emptive antidote to the emotional lows and social-media faux pas, Ms Ormerod advises writing down a list of achievements or anything you are proud of, and keeping it somewhere accessible, such as your iPhone notes. So, the next time you are feeling down or anxious, take some time to remember your assets and keep a hold on reality, rather than comparing yourself with all of the over-curated stuff you see online.

Meeting people IRL (that’s “in real life”, BTW) is becoming something of an increasing fantasy. With dating sites and apps at our fingertips, why sweat over your opening line to the mysterious stranger at the bar when you can spend hours constructing the perfect message on-screen? “In the past year,” Ms Ormerod writes, “have you asked someone, or graciously accepted an invitation, on a date in person?” If the answer is prehistoric, it’s time to swipe left on the dating apps, so to speak, look up from your screen and take a thoroughly good look at what – or who – may be passing you by.

Why Social Media is Ruining Your Life by Katherine Ormerod (Cassell, £12.99) is published on 20 September

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