Touch grass

Overview

"Touch grass" is English-language internet slang that urges someone who's too absorbed in social media or the internet to "go outside and experience the real world." It spread from around 2020 and is used toward people who get heated over petty arguments on social media or overreact to things that happen online. It carries a nuance of sarcasm and teasing, but it's also a message that "the world on the other side of the screen isn't everything."

When a question box owner needs to touch grass

If you get too absorbed in running your question box, you may end up in a state where you need to touch grass. You fret all day about not getting questions. You dwell on a harassing question for hours. You check the number of likes on your answers every 5 minutes. You can't sleep because you're worried about your followers' reactions. These can be signs that what happens online is eating into your real life.

A question box is just one feature of social media, and only one part of your life. What happens in your question box doesn't decide your worth or your happiness. When you start to forget this, it helps to remember the idea of "touch grass."

Offline experiences make your question box richer

It sounds paradoxical, but stepping away from social media and gaining offline experiences can also raise the quality of your question box answers. Experiences away from the screen, like traveling, reading, talking with people face to face, and trying a new hobby, may give your answers depth and originality.

Answers from people who only look at social media tend to be rehashes of things they saw on social media. Answers based on real experience become content only that person can make. Answers that include real experiences, like "I went to X last weekend" or "I recently started trying X," are fresh and appealing to your followers, too.

Touching grass in practice

Touch grass is a metaphor, but it's also worth trying literally. Put down your smartphone and go for a walk. Sit on a park bench and look at the sky. Talk with a friend at a cafe. These casual actions can help reset the time and attention you'd been spending on social media.

When an unpleasant question arrives in your question box, when you're on the verge of a backlash, or when you can't stop worrying about the numbers, those are exactly the times to put down your smartphone and go outside. If you look at the screen again after a 30-minute walk, what felt like a huge problem a moment ago may look small.