## Offline Reality: Gain or Loss Perspectives?

It’s easy to let social media pervade your day. You might check Facebook in the morning, scroll through Twitter throughout the day, and unwind with Instagram at the end of the night.

But what if every social platform ceased to exist? What if, one day, you woke up and all the social media apps had disappeared from your phone? Do you think your life would be better or worse?

## Social Platforms Can Be Toxic and Take Up Too Much Time

We hear more about the negative impacts of social media than we do about the positives, so let’s start there.

It’s no secret that social media can be toxic. When people post to their social accounts, they usually post their highlight reels, not the bad parts. So when you scroll through Instagram and see people who are perfectly posed or showing off the great aspects of their life, that’s only a small, edited sliver of their entire existence.

We know this, and yet we still compare ourselves to other people and spend way too much time on social media. Luckily, this modern problem has some modern solutions. There are [ways to limit your screen time without using a screen](https://www.makeuseof.com/limit-screen-time-without-screen/) and [apps that help you unplug and live in the moment](https://www.makeuseof.com/apps-help-you-unplug-live-in-moment/) .

You don’t have to give up social media completely to lessen its toxic and time-wasting effects. But would your life be better if you did?

## Social Platforms Are a Great Way to Foster Community

We know the detrimental effects social media can have on mental health, so why is it so difficult to stay away from social platforms? In my opinion, there’s one overarching reason: community.

Though we may have friend groups and close family members in real life, there’s something special about online communities. You can find people online who share the same unique interest in sustainability, true crime novels, or RPGs. It’s also possible to find people who have the same chronic mental or physical illness as you, which can be incredibly supportive and help you feel like you’re not alone.

If you did ever decide to take a break from social platforms, there are ways to stay connected during a social media detox and foster community elsewhere. But if your online communities are important to you, your life might be worse if social platforms ever closed down permanently.

## Do Social Platforms Make Your Life Worse or Better?

If social platforms disappeared tomorrow, I think I’d be lost—at first. I rarely ever post my own stuff on social media. I mainly use platforms to connect with like-minded communities and browse through content made by other people. I’d miss social media and the communities I love spending time in, but I think my life would ultimately be better if social platforms disappeared.

What about you? Would your life be worse without social media platforms, or would it be better? Are there any pros and cons to social media disappearing or sticking around that weren’t mentioned? Let us know what you think!