I grew up in a time when the only “ping” was the doorbell. Afternoons were spent running free in the backyard, riding bikes with the neighborhood kids, and dancing to Britney Spears tapes on the boombox. Back then, turning on the family’s beast of a computer took two hours, and the internet—or social media—didn’t even exist.
Fast forward to today, and the world looks drastically different. My 3-year-old nephew has his own iPhone and chats with family and friends on Facebook. Winding down often means scrolling through Instagram for hours, peering into the highlight reels of strangers we’ve never met. Our eyes are bombarded with over 14,000 messages a day, and our attention spans have shrunk to less than that of a goldfish. Love it or hate it, one thing’s for sure: social media has transformed the way we live.
But what happens when social media becomes part of your business or career? That’s when the effects are magnified. Many marketers preach the “show up every day, all day” mantra, as though success is directly tied to the amount of time we spend on these platforms. Me? Well, I guess you could say I see things a little differently.I learned the hard way, as a marketing assistant managing social accounts at the dawn of Instagram, what happens when you become a prisoner—or even an addict—of social media. Mental burnout is real, but what I found even more profound was the spiritual burnout: a disconnection from our authentic essence. And while it might be invisible, it impacts tangible results in ways we often overlook.
Social media detoxes have been a regular practice on my calendar for 14 years, both as a marketer and as someone who values holistic wellness. Some years, they’re short—like a phone-free long weekend. Other times, they’re longer. This year, I spent three months off Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Regardless of the length, the benefits are always remarkable. Now that I’m slowly easing my way back into the social media world, I thought it was the perfect time to share some personal reflections on this practice.
Here are 8 musings from my 80-day social media detox…
1. Social media detoxing feels like a reset for my human operating system. I feel more connected to my authentic self.
Just like our computers need a good shut down, virus deletion, upgrade, and reboot once in a while to operate at their most optimum level, I think us humans do too. During my social media detox I had the space to disconnect, reflect and make a critical holistic assessment on what’s working for me and what needs to hit the trash. Following your authenticity isnt about ‘becoming your best self’ but deleting all the programs you’ve subconsciously picked up from others. An annual social media detox will forever remain a non-negotiable maintenance task to keep following the path of authenticity.
2. Social media is designed to syphon our energy and time. A detox makes me a more conscious user of it.
Social media may feel like one big social hangout, but it is still “media”. These platforms are businesses that generate revenue through an advertising model, meaning your attention is the product. Though it’s free to access, you’re paying in a different currency—your energy and time.
The average person spends 2 hours and 23 minutes daily on social media, and as a business owner or marketer, it’s likely even more. While algorithms are designed to be addictive, we regain control by breaking the cycle of zombie scrolling and becoming more intentional with how and when we use it. A social media detox is the circuit breaker for me to ask myself the questions: a) how much time have I been spending on social media and am I content with that? b) am I happy with the way I have been spending my time on social media? and c) is there anywhere else I could re-allocate that time that would be more valuable for me? Simple questions, but they can radically shift your habits and priorities.
3. Our ego can flag social media detoxes as a threat. So the most blissful breaks are well-planned for.
If your social media puts a roof over your head, then I won’t #toxicpositivity you into the high vibe one liner “don’t worry about the how, just…surrender”. Ummm. no. lol. This gal is going to tell you to plan for it. Got a team? Let them step in. One person show? Prep your offers, promotional plan, build the automated backend email systems so you can switch off without it being a big threat to your bod or bank account. With a solid plan in place, you’ll unlock all the goodness a detox has to offer—mental rest, clarity, and a much-needed reset.
4. Success doesn’t have to mean being a slave to the algorithm. You can still attract customers without relying solely on organic social media.
So many people think you must be a slave to the algorithm and share a mountain load of free content on social media in order to make money and be successful. I do not agree. If you’re a consumer goods company with a $150M annual revenue target, not leveraging social media would be a poor choice. But if you’re an entrepreneur, creator, or self-employed individual not selling $2 products or relying on hundreds of thousands of customers, building a six-figure income without Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok is entirely possible. Mr Zuckerberg doesn’t have to be your new boss.
The reality is there are many other methods of marketing promotion available that can deliver an equal or even better ROI than organic social media. We actually have the freedom to design a marketing strategy that not only serves our brand, but honours our lifestyle choices, energetics (human design) and personal values. One-size-fits-all formulas aren’t your only choice. At the end of the day marketing is far bigger than just social media.
5. Ditching the auto-posting and going communication-free enhances the benefits of a social media detox.
To auto post or not auto post? As a curious and experimental 3/5 Human Design profile, you can make a bet I’ve tested both approaches. In the earlier years, my social media detoxes involved pre-batching a collection of content and scheduling it out in advance so things could be “business as usual” whilst I was offline chilling. The last couple of years with my own platforms, I’ve experimented with ditching the auto-posting and deciding to go completely communication free on social media (and other digital platforms).
My perspective is holistic; I see life through physical, mental, emotional, and energetic layers. While pre-scheduling content kept me physically offline, I noticed I was still energetically “on.” My broadcast tower was still transmitting signals to my audience. When I paused all posting instead, I felt more ‘switched off.’ It allowed me to immerse myself in the full experience of the detox. Sure, this approach has its trade-offs—like reduced organic reach—but for me, the deeper rest and clarity it provided outweighed the cons.
6. I lost a bunch of followers. But cleansing is just a necessary part of an effective detox.
“But I’ll lose followers if I take a break from Instagram”. This is often one of the biggest fears I hear when I suggest doing one. And to that I reply: Yep, you will and that’s a great thing. Taking a break may stir up a childhood insecure attachment wound (if you have one), but here’s the reality: everyone loses followers every month, even on a growing account. Check your insights if you don’t believe me. During a detox, you might see a slightly bigger dip than usual, but that a-okay. Why? It all comes down to resonance.
I see customer targeting on a scale of resonance – from not aligned to deeply aligned. Not everyone who chooses to follow you will remain a perfect match forever. Some will evolve with you as part of your ride or die community. Others will move on to a different wavelength and unfollow. I’ve seen enough data in my decade to know that smaller accounts with deeply resonant audiences can outperform larger ones with a cold or misaligned following. Higher resonance equals higher conversion rates. So, let them go—and trust the process
7. Social media is a much-loved tool in my personal growth + healing toolbox.
Distance sure makes the heart grow fonder. As much as I like the idea of living a totally offline life in a coastal sleepy town with no wifi and no worries, I know my life is much richer with social media in it. Whilst it can be used as a tool of limitation and harm for society, social media can equally serve as a tool of self empowerment if you use it mindfully.
For me, social media is simply another tool in my personal growth and healing toolkit. If you’re familiar with Lacy Phillips’ To Be Magnetic work, you’ve likely heard of “Expanders”—people living a piece of the reality you desire. Social media serves as a vast database to find these people. It helps us step out of our local bubble and open ourselves up to people who offer us differing perspectives. Curating your following list and training your algorithm is just another way of being a more conscious social media user.
8. Social media has opened up unimaginable possibilities for everyday people. The creator economy is thriving.
I thank my soul for choosing my birth time, as I’ve had the gift of experiencing both a world without the internet and social media, and one with it. While the digital age has brought its fair share of challenges, it has also unlocked countless opportunities. We can now connect with communities that make us feel seen and heard, and build businesses and careers doing what we love, all from the palm of our hands.
Taking a step back this year, I’ve been able to truly see just how much the creator economy is flourishing. National PR giants no longer hold the power or attention they once did. Influencers in industries like health and wellness now have more reach than top Australian publications. Today, everyday people are expanding in ways we never imagined—your next-door neighbor can turn a weekend hobby into a thriving income stream.
The power has shifted to the people, and it’s only going to keep growing. The beauty of the creator economy is that it allows anyone with passion and a voice to be heard. This is a world where your uniqueness can be your greatest asset, and where your personal brand can open doors that traditional paths never could.
Taking an 80-day break from social media as a marketer was an eye-opening experience that allowed me to step back, gain clarity, and reflect on my personal and professional relationship with the platforms. It’s easy to get caught in the cycle of constant content creation and consumption, but this detox proved that taking intentional pauses can lead to greater creativity, authenticity, and a deeper connection with what truly matters.
So, whether you’re a business owner looking for balance in your online life or a fellow seasoned marketer, the lessons I’ve learned remind us that it’s okay to disconnect, recalibrate, and come back stronger with more purpose and clarity. Social media is a tool, not a requirement for success, and taking the time to truly detox can help us reconnect to our authentic selves and our work in more meaningful ways.