By Rory McNelley, Staff Writer

Inspired by the bravery of a friend, I deleted Instagram two weeks ago. It was the best decision I have yet to make, and I strongly recommend you do the same. 

At the beginning of my first year at Xavier, I became good friends with someone but couldn’t seem to find their Instagram account. This was frustrating as the number of hilarious reels I wanted to send to him continued to rise. I asked him if he had Instagram. Much to my surprise, he said no.

Instagram was one of my favorite apps. I used it more than Snapchat and averaged about two hours a day on it. I got my news, fashion advice, updates on what my friends were up to and advertisements all on the same app. This was something I didn’t see as a problem until I got rid of it. 

I realized that the targeted ads were causing me to order things I didn’t need, and they made me feel as though I was missing out if I didn’t have said product. Not only are your ads practically tailored to you, but they also somehow follow your browsing history and maybe even conversations. 

I would find that the bracelet I was talking about or the book I had looked up on Google would come in between stories. Instagram knew what I wanted, and they made it easy to get, too. With autofill and Apple Pay, it took me all of three minutes to click on the link, decide I wanted the product and successfully checkout. 

The thing about these products is I would never think to buy them on my own if they weren’t in my face day after day. But when you see a product or ad, sometimes you think you must have it. Since uninstalling Instagram, I frequent the campus mail center half as much as I used to, and I have come to realize that many of the items I purchased were unnecessary. 

My bank account couldn’t be more thrilled about this recent lifestyle change, and so is my mind. Seeing people wearing clothes I didn’t have and seeing products that our culture said I had to have made me feel less than. In reality, no one cares what bracelets and clothes you have, what books you are reading, the phone case you took an hour picking out or the bag you carry around once a month. 

Since deleting the app, I have found that I have all the things I need. My mind is content in knowing that there is nothing I lack. Don’t get me wrong, I still log on to Instagram on my laptop every so often to check the reels my mom sends me or post for a birthday. 

I am not saying Instagram is terrible, in fact, I think it’s great. However, the culture of posting things you have can send us into a headspace of lack when we truly do not lack much. In reality, we do not need that new watch or the latest sweatshirt. If you tend to fall into the traps of Instagram ads, I urge you to give deleting Instagram a shot.