Social Media Fast (August 1 - 7, 2026)
Seven Days Offline: What Happens When We Stop Consuming and Return to Our Own Lives?
On the morning of August 1, I came across a post about a worldwide seven-day social media fast taking place from August 1 to 7.
I had actually read about it before and forgotten. Then, there it was again on the very morning it was meant to begin. I had not prepared for it, announced it, or carefully designed a digital-detox schedule. Nonetheless, I decided to join.
Perhaps that was the most honest way to begin.
I simply stopped.
Who started the worldwide social media fast?
I tried to trace the campaign back to one official founder, but I could not verify a single person or organisation responsible for starting it. The earliest posts I found describe it as a viral, grassroots worldwide movement rather than a formally organised campaign.
By late July, the same graphic and message were being circulated by many unrelated accounts, inviting people to stay off social media from August 1 to 7 under phrases such as “unplug, reset, reconnect” and “less screen time, more life.”
For some, it is spiritual. For others, it is about mental health, resisting overconsumption, rejecting surveillance, protesting corporate power, or simply discovering who they are when they are no longer continuously watching and being watched.
A 2024 report from the United States Federal Trade Commission found that major social media and video companies collected enormous amounts of user information in order to monetise it, particularly through targeted advertising. Their business models therefore have a financial incentive to keep people engaged for as long and as frequently as possible.
I joined for all of those reasons, but especially for one:
I wanted to see what my attention could create when it was no longer being consumed.
Here’s few of the personal projects I’ve been able to do while away from social media.
DAY 1 (08 | 01) : Fix Living Room 1
The Before…
I’ve been feeling a stagnant energy in this room a while now.. so this is the first room to get reset..
The mismatch short curtains and the scattered open space is just not the vibe..
So first things, first - changed these curtains.
I moved these curtains from the other room. You already know me, I will always shop my house first when I am resetting, I try not to buy new furnishings when I can, (and if I have to, my first go-to would be Facebook marketplace for second hand goods..)
The Results…🥹🤩
I brought up some live plants to add a nice natural texture to the room and then created a communal seating area. The shelving in the back is a mix and match of black wallarts and white accents that is matched by the pillows on the long sofa.
One final touch I will be changing in this room is to add linens onto the lamps to create an overall cozier feel. (that’s for another project!)
To soften the blacks and whites, I added touches of florals and mix boucle texture. To break the cohesiveness, I added a gingham pattern for the center table.
On to the opposite side of the room is a “his and hers’ workstation and a fit-check mirror 😅
DAY 2 (08 | 02) : Reclaiming the Balcony Garden
Before this transformation, this balcony is gathering dust and bird drops on the canopy. I decided to bring some faux planters from the courtyard and after much washing and hosing, this space came to life. Cooler season balcony lounging soon!
By adding indoor plants and an extension outdoor greenery, this space feels more visually connected. I started opening the doors briefly in the mornings now that both spaces feel like one. ☺️
I had also taken some time to add outdoor dining to the courtyard and this table sits on the opposite of the balcony. The living room now has both greenery views on both sides it almost feel like a sunroom!
DAY 3 (08 | 03) : The White Loft
Day 3 was devoted to the second living room, which I call the white loft.
I had hoped that the wallpaper ordered for the wall panels would have arrived by then. It had not, so I had to abandon the satisfying fantasy of completing the room in one perfectly timed reveal.
(So I guess that calls for another blog showing you the very tiny change I’m making on this space). Meantime, here’s the before :)
The idea is to add warmth to this room. I plan to add wall papers inside of the panels (3 large ones on top and 3 smaller ones at the bottom.
The rest will be decided once the anchor of the room is placed, all the other color schemes and accents are to follow, stay tuned if you’d like to see small facelift work of this room :)
Reshuffling furnitures in the house to create new styles. I guess the direction is going towards a hosting room where people can gather for a carefree meal..
DAY 4/5 (08 | 04 - 05) : Tax & Admin Works
Tax Season is here, and I need to make sure that our accounts, receipts and records are in order. There is a considerable amount of administrative work to catch up on, so the rest of the days are less visually beautiful than arranging flowers or refreshing living rooms and attend to spreadsheets and the accounting system.
Without constant checking, posting and scrolling, I can give that work the concentration it requires.
A social media fast does not have to produce seven picturesque days. Sometimes reclaiming your attention means doing the work you have postponed because it requires patience, accuracy and several uninterrupted hours.
That is not a lesser form of creativity. Putting financial chaos into order is also an act of creation.
While admin work is a day-to-day part of the operation, what really help me is to plan first. My 90-day planner have been honestly one of the tools I always go back to. It’s straight-forward and easy to integrate as part of my work toolkit.
Accounts may not be my most favorite part of the job but so so important to have really have an overview of the numbers to see the trajection and health of the business. So off I go and sit on this.
DAY 6 (08 | 06) : Onboarding a new Team at the Studio
As part of my slow transition to moving to MYLITTLEWHITESPACE, I have been also cutting out on my time at the studio. I’ve been overseeing bringing more creative partners I train to our standards and style so I can really focus with the shop.
Every onboarding of new creative partner to the studio starts with what I call a workflow shoot to understand how we work with clients. And that means I’m sitting a test subject to see how well they interact and direct posing based off on a blueprint I have personally been using over the 15 years of portrait photography I use for our clients.
All photos of me on today’s blog is a part of the test shoot with newest team at the studio!
Very pleased with our new team Affan and he is someone I can highly vouch to be part of our growing team!
DAY 7 (08 | 07) : Last Day of the Social Media Fast
Day 7: Reflection
I do not expect to return from seven days offline as a completely transformed person. I also do not believe that individual digital fasting alone can dismantle the enormous economic systems behind social media.
But temporary withdrawal can expose the arrangement. Creation over Consumption.
It can show us how often we reach for our phones without deciding to. It can reveal how much time exists beneath the small fragments we surrender throughout the day. It can remind us that the platforms need our continued attention more than we need their continued stream.
Most importantly, it can help us distinguish between inspiration and accumulation.
I have saved more ideas than I could complete in several lifetimes. This week, instead of collecting more, I am asking: “What can I create from what I already know and have?”
One more thing… this was quite hard to admit, but while I could be excited to come back too, there is a part of me that really just wants to also stay out of it. Seeing just how many creative things and how completely okay I am without it - the more I feel at peace I feel about my time and myself.