Should I Delete Instagram or Keep It: Exploring Both Sides of the Coin

Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms worldwide.

Although it competes with similar platforms (i.e., Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, etc.), its grip on millennial users is unbeatable.

While that grip on millennials is good for its business, it’s not good for its users.

Instagram addiction has been attributed to many problems, from reduced productivity to procrastination and even depression.

No wonder people are debating whether to keep or delete their Instagram accounts.

If you, too, are wondering should I delete Instagram account or keep it, don’t worry.

In this article, we’ll explore the merits and demerits of both options in detail.

Let’s begin!

Nine Reasons Why You Should Delete Instagram

There are many reasons someone may want to delete their Instagram account, and we’ve tried to organize them in this list.

So here are the nine reasons why you should delete your Instagram account:

1. Regain Control of Your Time

The first immediate benefit of deleting your Instagram account is that you can regain control of your time.

It’s well known that Instagram can be quite addictive, and every day, people spend anywhere between 1hr to 3 hrs on this platform.

If you have Digital Wellbeing apps installed on your phone, you can easily determine how much time you spend on this platform.

And trust us; you’ll be baffled when you find it out.

Deleting your Instagram frees up all that time for you, so you can do whatever you want to do with it.

2. Create Real-World Connections

We often hear stories of people who met online and got married, or those who met online and started a business, went on a trip, and so on.

However, two things are worth keeping in mind while reading/listening to these stories:

1. Not all online connections become real-world connections
2. The number of connections that don’t complete the online-offline journey is much higher than those that do.

When you consider these things, it becomes clear immediately that spending your time in online connections and expecting too much from them wastes your time.

It leaves less time with you for your real-world connections, which is more meaningful than these long-distance online connections.

Deleting your Instagram account can give you the time and the opportunity to put more focus and energy into developing meaningful real-world connections.

3. Procrastinate Less and Boost Productivity

Instagram is also one of the major reasons behind procrastination.

This has been proven in numerous studies (like this and this), and it’s also a common sense thing.

The more you use social media, the more you want to do in your studies or work.

When you delete your Instagram account, you will have one less social media platform to care about, thus reducing your procrastination and increasing productivity.

4. Get Rid of the Social Validation Trap

Instagram users post many things about their life on the platform to seek social validation and admiration regarding their actions.

From their party nights to lifestyle to looks to humor, they post pretty much everything, and the validation comes in the form of likes, comments, shares, follower count, etc.

If you understand the algorithm of Instagram, you may already know that the platform itself also tries to increase the reach of such posts because they make people spend more time on it.

This social validation can boost a person’s happiness (and even ego) when they are at their receiving end.

However, it’s a double-edged sword that can also make people posting the content miserable and even depressed when things don’t go as planned.

Deleting your Instagram account can help you eliminate this social validation trap and find your happiness within.

5. Focus More on Your Goals and Achievements

When you have more time, you can obviously focus more on your goals and work towards achieving them.

You can also reflect upon your achievements and learn from them to achieve even more in life.

And if all that becomes possible just by deleting an app, doesn’t it make sense to do it?

6. Sleep Longer (and More Soundly)

Many studies have shown that the peak hours of Instagram in most countries are during the evening or nighttime.

If you observe your Instagram usage, you too would likely discover that you use Instagram mainly after the evening.

If you delete it, you can reclaim those precious evening and night hours, which can be utilized to sleep more.

Not only that — your sleep may also be more peaceful after deleting Instagram because you’ll be less sad and happier during your daytime.

And when we have a happy day, it obviously leads to more sound sleep at night.

7. Avoid Scams

Instagram is also a paradise for scammers.

Since it allows anyone to message you, it has also become a platform where fraudsters and scammers create fake profiles to dupe people through various means.

Not only can they make fake profiles to steal information from you, but also they can steal from you by sending malicious links and many other methods.

In short, the platform is not working properly to eliminate these possibilities, so you should protect yourself by deleting your Instagram.

8. Regain Your Self-Esteem

A lot of things that you see on Instagram are not true.

The influencers and celebrities you follow do not always look good (in fact, nobody always looks good), and often their lifestyles which you envy, are only because of things acquired on rent instead of things they actually own.

But when you look at them, you often feel bad about how you are! This sets unrealistic expectations and hurts your self-esteem.

Deleting Instagram can help you avoid that trap.

9. Become Happier and Make Others Happier

Finally, all of the above-mentioned points can give you much more peace of mind and make you a happier person in your day-to-day life.

And it’s no secret that a happier person also keeps others around him in a happier mood, making life more beautiful for them and those associated with them.

Four Reasons To Keep Your Instagram

There are always two sides to the coin, and deactivating your Instagram is no different.

We’ve already seen why it makes sense to delete your Instagram account; now, let’s see four reasons why it doesn’t.

1. To Use it For Business

If you use Instagram for business purposes, it won’t be a good idea to delete it.

You can miss out on all the business opportunities it can bring for you and your brand, so better to hire someone to manage it or reduce your time spent on it rather than deleting it altogether.

2. To Connect With New People

If you delete your Instagram account, you can not connect with any new people online through this platform.

While we explained above that most of these connections do not transform into real-world connections, we can’t completely deny that some of them become meaningful real-world connections.

So if you want to explore and have that experience, you may want to keep your Instagram.

3. Quick Source of News and Updates from Your Favorite Brands

Instagram can also serve as a quick source of news and updates from all your favorite brands and news sources.

Thanks to its visual nature, the information presented on it can be digested easily compared to other platforms.

If you use it for that purpose, you should keep it active.

4. To Follow Your Favorite Celebrities and Influencers

Finally, some people just prefer keeping an eye on their favorite celebrities and influencers.

And there’s nothing wrong with that — it’s just a matter of personal choice and what we choose to focus on.

If any of the reasons above aren’t strong enough for you to delete your Instagram account and you want to follow the life of your favorite celebs and influencers, keep your Instagram active and make your profile private instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Wrapping Up

So this was a complete overview of whether or not you should delete your Instagram account.

We hope the information provided here will help you decide what to do in this regard.

If you still have any questions, drop them in the comments, and we’ll try to answer them as soon as possible.

If not, then make your choice and delete or keep your Instagram account to experience the benefits yourself!