I deleted Instagram from my smartphone

I deleted Instagram from my smartphone (for the third time in my life).

Why did I delete Instagram from my smartphone?

I was just scrolling mindlessly like an addict through Instagram and I noticed at a certain point. Primarily just to follow and be in the social loop of my Instagram network of friends and after I was done watching the stories I noticed myself just scrolling for no reason through the explore tab.

During that period I asked myself why is my finger automatically clicking on the Instagram icon on my smartphone. Is it that important to know what my friends are doing on Instagram (multiple times a day)?

I asked myself who actually are those Instagram “friends” of mine. Old classmates that I don’t speak to, folks from lower school, middle school & university. Old friends whom I played soccer with but who I am not in touch with. People that I met when I studied and lived abroad. And the list goes on. And of course my good friends that I am in touch with on a regular basis.

So I came to the conclusion, is it that necessary for me to know what all these people are doing in their free time on Instagram. Must I open this app unconsciously multiple times a day?

No.

I am in touch with my best friends through text and know what they are up to and that is good enough for me.

I do not need to be constantly aware of what people are posting on Instagram that I barely talk to.

Of course I need to figure a way out to stay in touch with Ryoki.

But after coming to this realization. I stopped opening Instagram and watching stories. I started doing this around Christmas.

But I also thought that Instagram was just a negative place to be in.

People posting stories and posts of their vacations, making it seem they lived their perfect life. Whilst deep inside their relationship broke for the third time in two years, battling crippling anxiety inside and having a depression in the middle of the night. You do you with that workcation or living la vida pura in Costa Rica. I’m not down for that.

You only fool yourself with that.

That just screams I’m insecure, I need attention let me post a story of my life or me smiling and people will react to me. Whilst deep inside you are deeply unhappy but unwillingly to fix this because you want to keep on posting about your fake happy life. Thus upholding that fake life of yours online costs you so much energy that your personal life is suffering.

yes i'm done with my rant now.

I read this quote from Warren Buffet in 2016 that related to this behaviour on Instagram. I remember the year and the exact moment because I was reading his biography in a local bus in Taipei on a random evening, and now you know this random thing as well.

You either have an outer scorecard or inner scorecard.

Would you rather have the world believe that you are the best lover in bed while in reality you are the worst.

Or:

Would you rather have the world believe that you are the worst lover in best but in reality you are the best?

The scorecard you choose also makes up for the path you choose in life.

This is a good article on GuruFocus that goes into depth on the story behind the inner and outer scorecard from Warren Buffet.

Here some pieces from it:

The inner scorecard promotes freedom, authenticity and resilience, often attracting external success as well.

Cultivating an inner scorecard requires self-honesty, principle adherence and self-reliance, facilitating success and fulfillment on your own terms.

The inner scorecard vs. the outer scorecard

To understand the inner scorecard, it is helpful to distinguish it from its counterpart – the outer scorecard. The outer scorecard refers to judging yourself based on external standards like money, fame, status and the validation of other people. With an outer scorecard, you care excessively about what others think of you. You seek to impress people and earn their admiration. Your self-worth becomes contingent on meeting goals and expectations set by society.

In contrast, the inner scorecard means you set your own standards for success. Your sense of achievement comes from meeting goals that reflect your personal values – not arbitrary societal benchmarks. With an inner scorecard, you march to the beat of your own drum. You are not swayed by outside perceptions or the need for validation.

Instagram is in reality is just a one sided place. People posting only the good parts of their life.

People only posting their vacations, start of their love relationships & good moments in their life.

Whilst you never hear about the depression, relationship break-ups and down moments in their life through Instagram.

So all you see is good stuff, good moments, nice vacations, expensive dinners & beautiful luxury purchases.

So almost automatically you start assuming this is normal and you think this is the standard for their lives, that they always live like this. But it is certainly not in the case.

Even if they post very less, if you follow 20 active friends on Instagram it might look easily this way.

And it might set you off the wrong foot. Now you aim for that vacation, that nice fancy dinner or luxury item.

It lures you into the wrong thinking I found.

That energy that your mind shifts into that stuff could have been better allocated by focussing on your hobby/project/startup/reading a book. Getting out of debt or the rat race and set yourself up financial independency.

So I deleted Instagram on the 1st of January.

Actually, I re-installed it again just because I forgot to post a story and inform my Instagram “friends” that I am deleting the Instagram app from my smartphone.

Then, again I deleted the app.

Three days have passed and my finger is cured of that disease of automatically navigating to the Instagram icon and clicking on it.

The bad part of deleting Instagram from my smartphone?

I am totally unaware of what is happening in my social circle and will be uttered almost useless when it comes down to gossip talk with my best friends.

But then again there is no need for me to know what the exes of my best friends are posting on Instagram.

The best part of deleting Instagram from my smartphone?

I have more mental clarity and can focus totally on my day job and side projects.

Though one of my best friends has just sent me a screenshot of an Instagram post of an old classmate of ours. So I am not that out of the social loop apparently.

How long until I will re-install the Instagram app?

Never. There is no need for me to be “in touch” with people that I do not or barely speak to. All my good friends know how to contact me and that is the most important thing that I need to know.

P.S. If you're on Twitter, feel free to connect with me to hear more about my journey.