It was difficult to resist the temptation on the first day to not look on my phone as I, along with a lot of other people, look at my phone as soon as I wake up.

Social media is such a big part of the lives of people in 2017, I wanted to see what not having the access to everyone’s life at the click of a button was like.

Having a week off social media sounded daunting at first, but I planned activities to do during the week, such as catching up on TV and reading, that meant I wouldn’t miss the usual distraction of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc.

I found myself learning first about news stories whilst watching breakfast news on the television and listening to radio, whereas I am used to learning about stories on Facebook and with news apps on my phone. Without having the distraction of social media, I managed to do work on essays and other articles I have been meaning to write.

Recent studies have shown that the use of social media can have a negative effect on mental health, especially in young people. I noticed that I felt a relief from being under the burden of seeing the lives of people I know documented every day. The phrase ignorance is bliss came to mind as I felt able to do more and felt comfortable not knowing what others were doing.

Here is the full video diary where I talk in more detail about the week: