New Leaves

Since I am no longer working a full-time job, I have a significant increase in what I call “blank” time to fill each day. When I first stopped working, it felt like a wonderful vacation. I could sleep in late, have lunch with friends, read, and enjoy all the perks of not working. However, after a few months, I noticed that my days were lacking structure. I added two days a week of volunteering and five days a week of working out. Additionally, I work with clients several days a week for my consulting business. All of these things really helped create a sense of purpose and focus.

Things have been going well, except I noticed I’ve had a substantial increase in media usage, specifically on my phone. A few weeks ago, I planned to run a few errands but got sidetracked scrolling through the latest Instagram updates. Instagram led to videos, which led to shopping sites, which led to me purchasing a new beauty product. This was a unique situation, but by the time I finished my time scrolling, I needed to start dinner and didn’t run my errands. I realized I was spending too much time on my phone, and it wasn’t improving my life in a significant way.

According to my unofficial research, retired people and seniors are experiencing a significant, steady increase in media use, particularly in digital technology and social media. Driven by the need for connection, 45% of adults 65+ now use social media—a rise from 34% in 2017—with many using Facebook, YouTube, and smartphones for daily communication and entertainment. While traditional media like TV and radio remain popular, the trend shows a clear shift toward an increased reliance on digital, interactive media in retirement.

When I was working, I rarely looked at my phone during the day, mainly because I was always busy. Working as a school director, it would have been unprofessional to scroll on my phone since there was so much to do each day. I usually put my phone in my purse and checked it during break times. After I stopped working, I no longer had limitations for phone usage, so I needed to make a change.

I decided to reduce the temptation of using social media and mindless scrolling by removing Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube apps from my phone. I also removed any streaming sites like Paramount Plus, Prime Video, and Netflix. I haven’t closed the accounts, but I now look at those sites weekly instead of several times a day. I check the social media sites on my computer and watch videos on my television. The transition was tough at first. Detoxing from media meant I needed to find other ways to connect with people and entertain myself. I was nervous that friends might wonder why I wasn’t pushing the “like” or “love” button on their media posts or that I would miss the latest updates from my favorite Instagram influencers. It was an adjustment, but I was able to make the transition quicker than expected. I think of this change as being similar to not purchasing junk food to eat at home. Not having junk food makes me less likely to eat it.

Media, social media in particular, fills in gaps that we may be missing in our lives. Our phones have become the vehicle to an outside world that many of us are connecting to less and less. It’s hard to resist the temptations, but decreasing any amount of time can lead to good results. Do I recommend finding ways to reduce media usage? Yes, I do. In today’s world, is it easy? No, it isn’t, but as Regina Brett once was quoted saying, “Sometimes you have to disconnect to stay connected.”