Just a few days ago, Ariana Grande deactivated her Twitter account. While she has yet to release an official statement to announce her departure, it’s not the first time the singer, songwriter, and actress has opted to go on a social media cleanse. The same goes for celebrities such as Lili Reinhart, Selena Gomez, and Margot Robbie—all of whom have expressed the pressures of “performing” beyond their day jobs.
As it is, you don’t need a huge following to feel anxious on social media. From toxic beauty standards to the rampant spread of COVID-19 misinformation, it’s entirely fair to feel burnt out upon booting up Instagram or Twitter. If this is sounding all-too-relatable, we at Vogue Singapore recommend embarking upon a social-media detox; a process made easy with innovative apps that allow for automatic shut-downs, timed usage systems, and more. Read on for the full list.
Forest App
Staying focused and present is the aim behind Forest App. It encourages such behaviour by rewarding users for staying off their phone. This is done via a game, where you begin by planting a seed. The longer you avoid checking your mobile, the bigger and stronger it grows. Failing to do so will lead to the death of said tree. Leveling up allows for rewards in the vein of unlocking a new virtual tree species, while earning coins that goes to a real-tree-planting organisation.
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Focus Lock
Developed by the producers of celebrated productivity app, Flipd, Focus Lock is designed to hide distracting apps and games for a selected period of time. The apps return to your phone the second the time limit is up, where users are even able to tag each session to keep track of what they did with their time outside of social media.
Freedom
Not only does Freedom block specified social media apps, it also seamlessly syncs the ban across all of the user’s devices. This applies to Mac, Windows, Android, iOS, and even Chrome, thus ensuring that users are able to reclaim their productivity and peace thoroughly. What’s more, they’re offering free trials now for all us interested parties. Get in on this, stat.
Cleverest: Focus Digital Detox
This free app has garnered a ton of positive reviews thanks to its user-friendly interface and intuitive functions. How it works: Kick things off by selecting a category (social, relax, work). You’ll then be prompted to set a specific time period where you wouldn’t want to use your phone. Once you hit the start button, an avatar pops up. Aforementioned avatar gets fed each time you resist from checking your phone. Cleverest also tracks your daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly “achievements”, so you’ll be able to score stats on how well your detox is going.
Space app
Touted as a “personalised behaviour change program”, the Space app works by helping users find a phone/life balance. This translates to users being able to set “goals” for phone usage. Notifications are sent every time you slip up. Users are able to track progress against these goals over time, too, and even share their achievements with friends and family to build more positive habits together.
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