It's 2022, stop telling me to quit social media.

It's not new to see a 20-something defending their right to use technology. 

It's not a new phenomenon either to hear social media is ruining the self-esteem and mental health of adolescents at a rate that is hard to combat. 

And maybe when my mum told me to turn my eyes away from the blue light, she might have been on to something. Because research has told us an increased social media use can create feelings of inadequacy and a higher risk of depression, anxiety and loneliness. 

But how do we fix it? Because telling us to turn our phones off and "quit" social media simply just doesn't cut it anymore.

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Admittedly, I'm a social media-obsessed gal. I like posting my meals and doing birthday shout-outs for my friends and family (even a few celebrities sometimes). I love watching what others are getting up to and I've made some very valuable connections (in both my career and personal life) by reaching out to others through social media. 

I would be lying though if I didn't admit I've fallen into the self-comparison trap and wondered how someone's life could look so much better than mine. Of course, it's not easy to be surrounded by so many curated lifestyles when mine looks... nothing of the sort. But it doesn't mean I want to lean out of social media. 

It just means I curate who I follow, who I listen to and what I engage with. But "quitting"? It's not in my vocabulary when it comes to anything involving the digital world. 

Sure, we could disable our Instagram, delete all the apps and tell our friends to reach out via pigeons. 

And arguably, we probably should downgrade from a smartphone to an old-school brick. It might even be better if we cut ourselves off from the digital world – because, in truth, we were certainly not made to be so young and consume so goddamn much information. 

But the thing is, the entire concept of disengaging and "entering back" into the real world is really just an illusion.

We contact our friends through Snapchat. We keep up with our extended family's lives through Facebook. We learn about the events going on in our cities and neighbourhoods through community groups. We see what our loved ones are up to through Instagram. We are embedded in the digital world. 

Our connection to even our inner circle is tied through social media – and so are our careers.

So many jobs these days revolve around social media and engagement and analytics and consuming all types of data that didn't exist 30 years ago.

Maybe if our whiteboards weren't digital when I was in the second grade (which was over 17 years ago, by the way) and maybe if I wasn't encouraged to open my laptop and google an answer instead of searching for it in a book, I would be a little less inclined to reach for my phone when I have a question that needs an answer.

Believe me, I've tried to not be so engaged. I've limited my app usage and logged out of my personal accounts. I've implemented rules where my phone had to be in another room for bedtime. But the desire to see and be seen overrides any sense of conviction I have to be disconnected.

I've read stories and watched videos of men and women giving up their smartphones for a simple one – one that makes it difficult to download apps and stay present in a digital world. They say it simplified their lives and gave them clarity. 

I've been told I could do the same as others who've gotten by with less – and technically I could. 

But if quitting social media was easy to do, we wouldn't have millions of young people dealing with phone addictions. We wouldn't have the stereotypes that instead of having our heads buried in a book, we're buried in a phone.

I'm jealous of others who are capable of disengaging, if I'm honest – because realistically, my life isn't built to cater to a world where I don't have access to the internet easily or social media at the click of a button. 

Our lives are (but specifically my life is) tethered together by social media. It's not an extracurricular activity or a side hobby anymore. How else would I contact my parents (who live in another country) if Facebook Messenger didn't exist? 

Or plan trips with my friends a state away from me if I couldn't share the screen with them while we booked flights on FaceTime? 

Of course, I don't necessarily want to be here – obsessed with my apps and my devices – but what choice do I have? 

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Because oversimplifying my life by downgrading and disabling apps would mean I make life harder for those I love. It would make my life harder for me. 

Right now, with my friends being so digitally connected and with my career being so intertwined with social media, taking all the steps to mitigate my usage isn't a journey I'm willing to go on right now. 

And as the data has shown us, it clearly isn't an easy journey for many of us to undergo. 

So, sincerely, please stop telling those who love social media – despite its flaws – to quit it. 

It is 2022, after all. 

Feature Image: Getty/Mamamia.