Fork in the Road: Starting My Journey Towards Digital Minimalism

September 11th, 2023, was the day that changed everything. I hit a breaking point, and things needed to change. As I sat in a meeting with my manager, who was berating me for a post I made on my personal social media, I wanted to end it. Was this who I had become? Was this it?

For a little more context, I’d like to say that my name is Laura, and I’m an addict. Addicted to social media, and more precisely, my smartphone. I have always loved technology, especially phones. The ironic part is that I also hate talking on the phone. Leading up to this breaking point, I was working as a social media manager for the largest health tech company in France. I was supposed to convey the brand identity through interactions and social media posts on Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok. TikTok is what got me in trouble.

TikTok was not something I wanted to use or put on my phone for many reasons. I knew it would be addictive, and I didn’t like the data privacy concerns with the app in general. I was encouraged to stay up on trends and learn how to use TikTok to be better at my job. In order to get better, I downloaded the app on my personal phone. I created an account and started posting. I posted trending topics as well as more personal topics related to what I was going through.

I was in the midst of being diagnosed with a genetic eye disease, ADOA, that was causing me to rapidly lose my vision and making my everyday life challenging. I was struggling to see my computer at work and couldn’t do things as well or as fast as I could when I was first hired. This diagnosis process was intense and consisted of multiple tests, such as MRIs, electrodes on my eyeballs, and 35 vials of blood drawn to test for any cause of my sudden vision loss.

This personal stress and professional pressure led me to break in the middle of an unplanned meeting with my manager. I was confronted for posting my struggles with being visually impaired in a company that didn’t support me. I didn’t call out the company, but someone found my post and sent it to the company. Was it dumb of me to post? Yes, of course. But it didn’t warrant the meeting in the midst of such a difficult time, especially when my manager knew I was going through extensive medical testing. This shame, pressure, and duress caused me to break. I wanted to cease to exist, both literally and figuratively.

I removed all my social media accounts and went dark. I also sought out emergency medical care for my well-being and mental health. I am a different person since that day. I didn’t know then that I was at a fork in the road. One side was misery and a façade, while the other offered hope and a new beginning. I didn’t have a word for it at the time, but I knew I no longer wanted to let technology rule my life. I didn’t want to be on a screen more than in the real world. I soon discovered that many people felt the same way and were part of a movement known as digital minimalism.