It's written on the wall... just not the Facebook wall.
It was the day before Christmas Eve, I knew
I'd be away for a few days and thought it would be a good time for a bit of a
break from social media. I proceeded to delete the Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram apps from my iPhone, and ensured I was logged out of all social media
pages on my computer. I thought I'd last a week, it turns out that I've lasted
one month now and to be honest I'm not sure that I want to return to the world
of selfies, re-tweets and likes.
I feel like a reformed smoker whenever
someone asks me how I'm fairing without social media, some ask in tone of
desperation “Oh, how are you coping?” or “When will you be back?”, others,
having had a similar experience to my detox, nod and smile knowingly.
So why did I feel like I needed a detox and
what did I discover about myself?
For a while now (maybe 6 months), I've felt
less and less of a need to post to social media. Every time I checked my iPhone
or logged into my computer, there was a Facebook or Twitter feed vying for my
attention, “Read me… READ ME!”; so I'd read my friends posts; commented,
liked, retweeted, replied etc. But as each day passed, I felt like I was
participating less and less with these “friends” of mine, and time on social
media felt more and more demanding.
Little did I realise just how much time
this dutiful addiction to social media was taking up in my day to day life, I
didn't even realise that I was checking social media every chance I had,
especially on my iPhone, just in case I was missing out on something important.
In reality, I wasn't missing anything important.
About two weeks into my detox, I came to
the realization that we no longer really communicate with our friends, messages
are no longer personalised our online communication, we BROADCAST our life
online and if it is overlooked or not liked or replied to, we see that as
disinterest from the parties involved. I was spending so much time keeping up
with the Facebook-Twitter-Instagram-dashians than I wasn't giving myself time
to make a life of my own.
In my third week of detox I attempted to
calculate just how many hours per day I had added back into my life by not
using social media, it was around 3 hours per day. That’s three hours I could
catch up with a friend in real life, or read several chapters in a book, take
photographs, paint, draw and talk to my housemates etc. That’s 21 hours a week
and 210 hours per month. I was spending close to 9 days a month on social
media. That’s definitely not living life.
I'm not saying everyone spends this amount
of time on social media, but I really didn't think I did either, until I
stopped and reflected. Did I really need to see 5 different friend’s photos of
their Christmas trees? Did I need to hear about your new car? Or your football
injury? Was my life being enriched by your drunk duckface pose photos? The
answer is no.
Honestly, my life hasn't felt empty in the
slightest since I went ‘offline’, I've probably seen more of my friends
face-to-face than I had in months, and those friends who did want to know how I
was emailed, or texted, or called. Was any less happening in my life because it
wasn’t being broadcast online? No.
I now know that you cannot live your life
online, at the whim of other people’s judgments while being bombarded with the broadcast
of the news feed hive collective. My iPhone battery now lasts all day, since I'm
not checking social media every chance I get, I've discovered just how much I
can fit into my day when I’m not burying my head in a constant stream of other
people’s views, insights and options.
For someone who has been on Facebook since
2008 and Twitter not long after, I really never thought it would want to quit
social media. So, I'm not quitting, but once I'm back "online" I will most
definitely be scaling back my access to social media, thinning my friends lists
and participating in the online community on a more professional, less personal
level.
Although I am ready to emerge from the cave
of the summer of my social media discontent, I have to set myself boundaries
and see if I keep a clear head about the effect of it on my life. And remember, I am always just an email, text or call away.
I'd really like to hear your thoughts on
social media and the role it plays in your life. Have you ever gone ‘offline’
or abstained from social media?
x Mel
