New Delhi, Oct. 19 -- It's been over three-and-a-half months since I stopped watching Instagram Stories. I was never a compulsive watcher; I only checked a handful of people's stories. But consciously not checking them at all, especially when I see three green circles in a row-the unmistakable cue that someone's sharing something with "close friends" only-has been quite something.

It started rather abruptly. In the first week of July, a small medical mishap landed me on a hospital bed for a few hours. A first-time experience that shook me more than I expected. I was discharged soon, but recovery stretched into a fortnight. Work deadlines loomed, and I was between houses, with most of my stuff packed in one, renovation chaos in another. E...