By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
CHEROKEE, N.C. – According to Statista, people in the United States spent an average of 2 hours and 27 minutes daily on social media in 2025. The One Feather sought several members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) who were willing to try a week off of social media and report back with their findings. Below are our respondents:
Avery Weatherly, age 27, of Elawodi (Yellowhill), is a conservation outreach coordinator with EBCI Natural Resources. She spends around 2 hours and 45 minutes a day on social media and uses Instagram, Reddit, and Facebook. Weatherly was able to finish the seven-day experiment successfully.
“Instagram was the hardest because I love watching Reels and looking at fashion accounts,” she said. “Reddit was really hard too because I use it to read about shows and video games.”
She did various things to occupy her time that would have been taken up previously with social media. “I read books, played video games, spent time with friends, and organized parts of my house. I also got my wisdom teeth out at the end of that week. So, it was hard to sit on my couch and not use my phone.”
Weatherly said that the weeklong experiment did change her social media routine. “On the first day back, I went on Facebook and instantly started to feel bad. I was bombarded with all the horrible things going on in the news. I felt my anxiety get worse, and it had me staying up late. After that day, I put the limits right back onto my social media. Last week, other than the first day, I averaged five minutes a day on Instagram and Facebook. And I would like to keep it that way! I have a lot more time in the day and I feel less stressed and less bored without it. As for Reddit, I’m back to my normal usage but that’s because Animal Crossing got a big update so it’s fun to talk with other people about it and see what others are doing in the game.”
She added, “Having spent a week off and coming back on, it exhausted me. It sounds funny, but there’s so many sounds, bright colors, and multiple things trying to grab your attention at once. It was overwhelming.
The most surprising part for me was that I realized I didn’t do any online shopping that week! I usually spend a couple hundred dollars a week shopping online. I’ll see clothes, shoes, and house stuff on Instagram and then go buy them. When I went back online, the first thing that popped up was an ad for a sale from a store I love. I wanted to click it so bad but then I realized that I wasn’t even thinking about buying clothes the week I wasn’t on social media. I kept seeing that same ad over and over, showing me clothes I viewed before and almost bought. It was blatant, and I’m glad I see that now.”
Rose Shell-Maney, age 56, of Elawodi (Yellowhill), is a weigh master/administrative assistant at the EBCI Transfer Station. She spends one to 1.5 hours per day on social media and uses Facebook and Instagram.
She did the entire week and enjoyed her time off from social media. “Facebook was kind of hard, not going to lie. But then I realized I was just being nosey. I occupied my free time by connecting and reconnecting with family and friends.”
Shell-Maney said this time off definitely changed her mindset about social media for the better. “I don’t miss it, and I didn’t for that week. I do believe I’m better off without it. It made me realize that I don’t need the drama, lies, and made-up stories of this and that.
My week was quieter and I enjoyed it. Even today, a week later, I’ve only been on it when one of my daughters tag me in some informational post, but the week-free of social media was a breeze!”
Isiah Davis, age 27, of Wayohi (Wolftown), is a manager in the slots department at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort. He spends more than five hours on social media daily and uses Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
On the week, he noted, “I failed every single day, often being reminded by my wife… but I’d log off and go as long as I could, before forgetting again. Facebook was the hardest as it’s so easy to open and start scrolling, but I also found myself opening TikTok at times.”
During the week, he filled the time normally on social media by watching more shows and movies and making more social time with his family.
“The only negative effect was not knowing what was going on around me and the community/country, but it could also be seen as positive depending on how you look at it. I spent less time thinking and worrying about the outside world, and more time thinking about what was right in front of me.”
Davis said the experiment was helpful. “I’ve actually gone right back to how I was before; however, this experiment opened my eyes to how much time I actually spent on social media. I think there’s a good balance because we all want to be connected to each other and have the means to do so 24/7, but sometimes it’s good to disconnect.”
Joey Owle, age 37, of Wayohi (Wolftown), is with the CLMAP (Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program. He averages two hours a day on social media and does Facebook, YouTube, and occasionally Pinterest.
He was successful in completing the week free of social media. “I did go the entire duration without using any social media apps. To help quell any temptation, I deleted them from my home screen. Surprisingly, I did not have any urge to go find the app and open it up to peruse as normal.
I didn’t feel that any one app was harder to give up than the other. I felt committed to the experiment in its entirety, and I wanted to complete it because it ultimately was a challenge to myself.”
When asked how he occupied his free time during the experiment, Owle noted, “Prior to the experiment, I confirmed that the ‘Apple News’ was considered a social media app. I found myself reading a lot more articles during the times that I would most likely check a social media app. But from those articles, I was opening up a browser to research something further that I read about.
I like to exercise regularly, but during this experiment when I found myself with the newfound free time, I would stretch, or do push-ups, squats, or some other moderate movement mostly likely during a time when I open up an app.”
He added, “Facebook is a convenient app to keep up to date on strategic pages that are informational for here on the Boundary and regionally, such as the One Feather page, Chief Hick’s page, or some other enlightening organization. I did not have immediate access to what I would consider relevant news and information, which is not inherently a negative thing to experience. If anything, purging social media for a week or longer yields positive outcomes on one’s mental and physical health.”
When asked about any changes he plans to make in his social media routine following the experiment, Owle commented, “I have actively focused on reducing my social media screen time to a target duration in a given day. Based on some articles I read recently, I use social media far less than what was reported, which can be six hours or longer for some demographics. It is my goal to use social media for deliberate purposes and to not doom scroll endlessly, each day, because I can or want to. I think the evidence is clear on the addictive and negative attributes social media can have on individuals. Social media has also enabled folks to feel connected and heard in nearly whatever way they can imagine. I want to view social media app use as not routine, but purposeful.”
