What is this project about?
As part of the Uniting for Action America program, the Education team (Alisha B, Bridget K, Rob H, and Tim M) is implementing a project to highlight the toll that social media inflicts on our mental health, especially for teenagers. 

Dry Media Month
Dry Media Month is a month without social media. We know: it sounds crazy but hear us out. Social media claims a lot of our time and attention.

What would it be like to go a month without it? Would we be more focused? Happier? 

Join us in an experiment: delete social media apps on your phone for a month (March 15-April 14), and then note with us the impact on our mental health. 

After a month, feel free to reinstall the apps onto your phone. Or not. You decide. ​

Participate

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FAQ

Why are we doing this?
Teenagers today have grown up with cell phones and social media, both of which can be misused to have negative impacts on mental health. An overuse of social media can negatively impact self-esteem, spread misinformation, and reduce attention spans. Poor mental health can in turn lead to poor educational outcomes.  

Photo by Reneé Thompson on Unsplash

Can I still participate if my work requires me to use social media? 
Yes, you can pick and choose which social media sites you want to unsubscribe from. Any level of participation is welcome. So if your work requires you to be on LinkedIn and Twitter, consider deleting your Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. Better yet, delete them all, and only access work-related social media sites from your computer. ​

Photo by Nathan McDine on Unsplash

Photo by Dustin Belt on Unsplash

Who can participate?
Anyone!

​How do I participate?
It’s simple: sign up by by midnight on March 14, 2021 by clicking on the Participate button above. You may even wish to make a post on your social media informing your friends and followers that you will be participating. Then delete the apps off your phone. Your account will remain intact, but you won’t be able to access social media from your phone. Note how you feel over the course of the month: March 15-April 14. On April 15, feel free to reinstall the social apps, or not. 

I use social media to stay informed on current events -- how will I stay informed?
Try reading about current events online, or better yet, subscribe to a mix of national and local newspapers (physical and digital) to stay informed. ​

Photo by Hannah Xu on Unsplash

But isn't looking at social media on your computer cheating? 
Dry Media Month is all about removing yourself from social media and becoming more mindful of its impacts on your mental health.

We realize a lot of the modern world uses social media to keep in touch with friends, access services, and find out information about events.

If you feel you really, really need to be on social media sometimes, consider using only your computer.

​Using your computer during working hours will limit the amount of social media you are able to access as you won’t be able to scroll through it in bed, in the bathroom, etc. 

And you will still have text messages, email, and the good old telephone to keep in touch with people!

​

Participate

Cover​ Photo by Finn on Unsplash