I tried an experiment where I gave up social media. The experiment was supposed to last 72 hours, but it didn't. No Twitter, no Instagram, no Facebook, not even Snapchat. They were all gone from my phone. My morning routine used to go a little like this: my alarm would buzz at me, and I would snooze it and fall asleep. When I'd wake up again, I would immediately click the little blue box with the white F. Every.time. While I was waking up, I would peruse facebook. I would look at the "on this day" portion and see what my life was like last year and in years past. This is how it was...until the first morning when it wasn't. It's almost like my fingers didn't know what to do if there wasn't that option to click. What else is there? The withdrawal was real, as pathetic as that sounds; I relate it to an addict getting the satisfaction of the drug once it hits their system; the buzz of the alcohol once it settles. Except the satisfaction never comes because the drug isn't there. Make sense?
The second day wasn't so bad. I had gotten used to it not being there so I was able to do other things.
I didn't tell anyone that I was giving it up for a time. If I would have done that, I think I would have been more temped; who posted on my wall? Who 'liked' my picture? Who sent me snaps?
Let's be real: I'm just an ordinary person...those who need me know my number, so I wasn't really losing out on anything. Which led me to wonder, what did I learn from this?
Self-control. Addiction comes in many forms and social media is one of them. There are plenty of positives that come from using these applications; I have friends and family from everywhere that I don't get to see everyday so it helps keep in touch. I am a part of groups where I learn mommy tricks, and I can refresh my military knowledge. It's not so bad...but when you have someone like me who loves attention and who loves to be in the know, it can get pretty intense. From this point forward I need to pace myself and not use it while I'm using other things (ie, watching TV). It's NOT THAT SERIOUS. Not checking it so often will help trigger the excitement when I actually get notifications.
I encourage everyone to unplug, whether it's for 24 hours or 48 hours or 72 hours. It's refreshing to not be glued to a screen.
The second day wasn't so bad. I had gotten used to it not being there so I was able to do other things.
I didn't tell anyone that I was giving it up for a time. If I would have done that, I think I would have been more temped; who posted on my wall? Who 'liked' my picture? Who sent me snaps?
Let's be real: I'm just an ordinary person...those who need me know my number, so I wasn't really losing out on anything. Which led me to wonder, what did I learn from this?
Self-control. Addiction comes in many forms and social media is one of them. There are plenty of positives that come from using these applications; I have friends and family from everywhere that I don't get to see everyday so it helps keep in touch. I am a part of groups where I learn mommy tricks, and I can refresh my military knowledge. It's not so bad...but when you have someone like me who loves attention and who loves to be in the know, it can get pretty intense. From this point forward I need to pace myself and not use it while I'm using other things (ie, watching TV). It's NOT THAT SERIOUS. Not checking it so often will help trigger the excitement when I actually get notifications.
I encourage everyone to unplug, whether it's for 24 hours or 48 hours or 72 hours. It's refreshing to not be glued to a screen.
Word on that, yo.
ReplyDeleteI drop off once in a while. I think social media is like a video game that you can play once in a while, but it stars your friends...some people can't leave. Being social creatures yet often caught up in 'life', I think we instinctively cling to the opportunity for interaction.
Social media can be a social experiment. Consider, upon a day in which you post a variety of things, who likes what. There's a psychology behind it all. Don't you hate it when you have a person in mind but don't tag them, and they never like it? You're like, uh, hello? I see you likin' other shit!
I digress. The unfortunate side is where people consider it too close to real life. If I delete you on Facebook, it means I hate you and you should die. Why? That's not how I think, but that's how people take it. I expect to be deleted eventually by some people, I know what I say and do up in there. It's all good.
Drugs are bad, Mkay?