I'd like to talk about my uncle, Julian, who is probably the only person in my extended family who has completely steered clear of social networking sites. He's in his late fifties and works as a landscape gardener, so his daily routine is already quite hands-on and outdoorsy.
While most people I know spend their downtime flicking through photo-sharing feeds or short videos, Julian fills his evenings with completely offline pastimes. He’s an avid reader of historical biographies, he restores old wooden furniture in his shed, and if he wants to catch up with friends, he simply rings them up or pops over to their house for a cup of tea. It's almost second nature for him to stay active without staring at a screen.
As for why he avoids social platforms, he’s always been quite vocal about valuing his privacy. He believes that these sites are designed to hook people into endless scrolling and provoke unnecessary comparison. To be honest, he often says that life is far too short to worry about what acquaintances are having for breakfast or curating an artificial image of oneself just for validation.
Personally, I find his attitude incredibly refreshing. In an age where almost everyone suffers from FOMO, the fear of missing out, he seems genuinely content and present in the moment. At times, it can be slightly inconvenient when our family wants to share holiday photos in a group chat, but overall, I genuinely admire his restraint. It reminds me that taking a digital detox doesn't have to be a temporary challenge; it can simply be a conscious way of life.