Darjeeling (Instagram) Detox

Wake up. Have a scroll through Instagram. Eat breakfast. Check stories from last night. Get in a taxi. Have another scroll. Meet someone new. Look up their Instagram. Need something new? Look for inspiration on Instagram. It’s invaded all part of our lives. In the modern age, Instagram is mostly impossible for any millennial to live without. But it is an invasion or a saviour in societal progression?

This question was brought into interrogration when I spent this weekend away from technology high up in the hills of Darjeeling. The ascent took us past the most breath taking views. As we rose above miles of tea farms, waterfalls and even the clouds, the need for materiality disappeared. The need to feel connected disintegrated, replaced with a longing to just enjoy the beauty and the seclusion surrounding. I wasn't frustrated as my phone displayed 'No Service' as we slipped in recluse. It felt almost more like a relief or release of a force with its hold tightly wrapped around me. It was almost like being forced to be away from what I didn't think I could live without was the only thing that could detach me from the feeling of necessity. 

But it was also the natural beauty surrounding me that made me realise that I could be missing out. You don't need to be connected to the internet to feel inspired, tranquil or stimulated when surrounded by this. You can instead watch lights appear and disappear as the fog passes over the hills. A phone free epiphany occurs when presented with this natural entertainment that makes you realise the ways that Instagram was previously invading your every second. You start to realise what you may have been missing around you. 

Having said that, we're consumed by Instagram for a reason. Our social lives are happening there. We rely on it for business. It can lead us to discover new things and to meet new people. It's such a powerful tool to give a different type of perspective. It can make you aware of things close to home that you may never have discovered without this tool of discovery. It's one of the greatest gifts of our generation to be able to connect and discover people in this way.  

That's why, while it's important not to miss what's around you and become consumed, we should value the things that Instagram can provide us. It's all about finding a balance between benefiting from it but not becoming reliant.

By Josie Hart