Financial Benefits of Deleting Social Media Apps

Many people overlook the financial ramifications of spending time on social media. However, using those platforms could actually wreak havoc on your budget, often in surprising ways. If you want to get your financial life under control, getting rid of your accounts could be a great option. Here’s a look at 5 financial benefits of deleting social media apps.

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5 Financial Benefits of Deleting Social Medi a Apps

1. Less Impulse Spending

Most people don’t get onto a social media platform with the intention of spending money. However, since many posts are related to products or services, a significant number do make purchases.

Often, social media shopping is done more on impulse than anything else. A person sees an intriguing product or service on a brand’s page or in a promoted post and decides to take action on a whim.

By not getting on social media, these opportunities for impulse buying disappear. As a result, you may end up spending far less during the month than you would have if you were still on the platforms.

2. Avoiding Ads

Even if you aren’t likely to impulse buy based on what you see on social media, being on a platform usually means being exposed to advertisements. From promoted posts to full-blown commercials, ad exposure can alter your shopping habits, potentially in undesirable ways.

Additionally, pausing on or interacting with a particular ad means you may start seeing it more. The platform pays attention to your behavior, and if you seem intrigued by an ad, it assumes you may be close to making a purchase. As a result, it keeps showing you advertisements for that product or service, essentially trying to make sure you remain interested or, at least, don’t forget about it.

Further, the platform may start showing you ads for products or services that align with areas you’ve shown interest. As a result, you’re shown very specific advertisements that the platform believes speak directly to your needs and preferences. Often, the hope is that this kind of targeted approach makes the ads harder to resist. After all, when you spend money, the platform benefits, giving them a vested interest in encouraging you to buy.

By deleting your social media accounts, you reduce your exposure to these kinds of highly targeted ads. As a result, you may spend less simply because you don’t see advertisements meant to entice you specifically.

3. No More “Keeping Up with the Joneses”

Even non-ad content on social media can impact your spending. Often, if you are continuously exposed to posts showing people with various products or using particular services, you may feel like you need to buy in, too.

Whether it’s an internal drive telling you that “keeping up with the Joneses” is important or a fear of missing out (FOMO), it could lead you to spend money on something you’d usually pass up. However, by deleting your social media apps, you aren’t exposing yourself to posts that encourage this kind of thinking. In turn, you may spend less on products or services you wouldn’t usually go after.

4. More Time to Focus Elsewhere

Many people spend hours each day on social media. By deleting your accounts, you’re giving yourself time that you can use in other ways, including boosting your income.

Consider what would happen if you took just one hour of your social media time and directed it toward furthering your education, enhancing your skills, or boosting your business. Often, the ultimate outcome would be a notable financial gain.

While deleting social media apps doesn’t automatically give you a higher income, it could make working toward one more practical. If a lack of time has been holding you back, consider stepping away from the platforms. That way, you can get the time you need to succeed.

5. No More Spending to Get a “Like”

If you create content on social media in hopes of getting “likes,” there’s a good chance you’re spending money to help make that happen. Cultivating an online image can be surprisingly expensive.

You may buy new clothes you don’t need to make sure you aren’t seen in an outfit you’ve featured before. You might spend money dining out at expensive restaurants with impressive-looking dishes just to get the pic.

There are a lot of places where you could end up spending solely for the purpose of getting an image that you think will garner positive comments and attention. If that’s occurring, there’s a good chance your budget is feeling it.

By deleting your social media apps, you don’t have to worry about creating new content. As a result, you may save quite a bit of money.

Deleting the Apps, Not the Accounts

If you want to see if you can capture the financial benefits of getting off of social media but are worried about deleting your accounts, then don’t delete the accounts. Instead, simply remove the apps from your devices. That way, your profiles are intact if you decide you want to come back later.

Can you think of any other financial benefits of deleting social media apps? Do you think the potential financial gains don’t outweigh what you feel you lose by disconnecting? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Tamila McDonald

Tamila McDonald is a U.S. Army veteran with 20 years of service, including five years as a military financial advisor. After retiring from the Army, she spent eight years as an AFCPE-certified personal financial advisor for wounded warriors and their families. Now she writes about personal finance and benefits programs for numerous financial websites.

5 Financial Benefits of Deleting Social Media Apps