How to Survive Modernity

How to Survive Modernity

Digital Spring Clean

A seasonal detox for our online worlds.

Sofya Mitchell's avatar
Sofya Mitchell
Apr 14, 2025
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Intuitively we all know that spring is the season to refresh with some vibrancy: after the sleepy stillness of winter, we crave a cleansing of our homes (and our bodies).

Long gone are the days where ‘the internet’ was housed in a physical place - a chair, a desk, a computer, and a dial up connection. We used to sit in one spot in order to get online, and it couldn’t follow us when we logged off. Now, instead of being able to walk away from the internet, we carry it with us on our smartphones wherever we go. No more “BRB” or “G2G’ - we are always, always connected.

As the online world continues to bleed into and merge with our offline existence, we must begin to cultivate a habit of periodically detoxing the digital too. Instead of fighting the reality of constant internet access, we should seek mastery over it. We are still in the internet’s infancy, despite it seeming otherwise, and thus have to find ways to navigate the growing pains.

Here are some ways to implement a digital detox for spring - or, indeed, any time of year.

Unfollow with no mercy

Just as we curate our offline worlds, we must curate our online lives with equal care. Do a spring cleaning of your social media and unfollow accounts that make you feel anxious, fearful, hate-filled, jealous, or irritated.

Would you remain friends with someone who made you feel bad constantly? No! So why follow people online who do the same?

Doomscrolling instantly turns to joyscrolling when you simply follow accounts that make you feel inspired, happy, curious, or peaceful.

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