Three weeks ago, I deleted the Twitter app from my phone. I was checking Twitter too much, too often, and I ended up doom scrolling. I wanted to stop doing that, and the simplest solution was not having such easy access to Twitter on my phone.

Twitter has been useful to me in the past for following topics and news, connecting with people, and talking with friends. But Twitter hasn't been that for me in a long, long time. My Twitter use shifted to seeing what was on my feed and which topics were trending. And then I would get stuck scrolling and scrolling.

I didn't want to get rid of my account completely. (I'm being optimistic, but what if Twitter becomes useful again?) So deleting the app from my phone was the way to go. If I really want to check Twitter, I can log in via the browser on my phone or use Twitter on my computer. But no more little blue icon to tap on my phone.

Here are some observations from spending way less time on Twitter.

I realized I wasn't gaining much useful information, entertainment or...anything else from Twitter. No real benefit. I was wasting time on Twitter, and that's it.

One of my friends messages me primarily through Twitter. I let him know I was deleting the app on my phone and may be delayed in seeing messages from him. And he has my email address if he needs to reach me. The rest of my friends have at least one other way to reach me--another social media platform, email, or phone number. As important as it is for me to be mindful about how I use social media, I also don't want to cut off friends inadvertently.

I barely use Facebook so my next targets will be Reddit and Instagram. The thing is, I still find Reddit and Instagram useful. They aren't like Twitter where I scroll to pass the time. But sometimes I *do* scroll Reddit and Instagram for no real reason. I'm thinking about how I can change that.

Some of this thought process is inspired by Digital Minimalism, a book by Cal Newport.

The overall theme is being more intentional about how we use digital technologies, especially social media. 

I like his approach to evaluating what technologies we use, what we gain from them, and to what extent we need them for personal or professional life. 

The goal is not to cut out all social media. Instead, look for how you can gain the most benefit and reduce waste.