Do Social Media Cleanses Really Work?

A “social media cleanse” may sound like any other fleeting trend in the wellness sphere, but unlike that CBD-infused celery-matcha, it’s something most of us actually need. For much of the week, we're glued to our chosen feeds: We take more time to photograph our meals than eat them, our news arrives in bite-sized tweets, and we devote more energy to sharing with our digital followers than we do to connecting with our actual, human friends. But how much of a difference does disconnecting actually make? To find out, we followed Refinery29’s Emily Curl as she took on a five-day social media fast.

Naturally, it wasn’t easy. But in the gaping hole left behind by all her standard online feeds, Emily found time to work out, tune in to inspiring podcasts and news outlets, and most importantly, reconnect in meaningful ways with the people in her life — without keeping her phone on the table through dinner. Thanks to Visible — the $40/month phone service that runs on Verizon's 4G LTE Network — she was free to spend limitless time calling, FaceTiming, and texting the people who matter (without shelling out extra cash on her phone bill). Watch above while she grapples with a world free of her go-to apps — and emerges victorious.