You may be aware of the term “doomscrolling”, the habit of coping with stress and alarming current events by mindlessly scrolling through social media.

For much of the coronavirus lockdowns this is a somewhat unhealthy habit I picked up and kept. However since about October 2024 I have been off social media to see what difference it made to my mental health, spirituality and quality of life.

I have been pleasantly surprised with how little I miss it, how much less anxious I am, and how my sense of outrage and controversy has moderated.

Social media algorithms are designed to maximise engagement, which often means outrage, polarised viewpoints and extreme opinions.

We are being formed by social media feeds, 30-second videos, niche news articles - almost living in intellectual tribes that share little in common with others.

Would you try a different routine, an experiment of sorts? To go without Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok and so on for a month, the accepted time period to break a habit?

What may change for you? Would you, like me, find yourself looking at the world more clearly, with less anxiety and outrage?

What would change if we were formed by our communities and loving friendships as opposed to faceless algorithms?