7:47 PM, 09/09/15-I'm over you social media
Let me be perfectly clear. I was an early user of Facebook and I loved it. I am unapologetic about this. Over the last 7 years I have had people try and give me shit about it, and their arguments are moot. Don't tell me "You sure are on FB a lot," and not realize that in order for you to know this that YOU are on FB a lot.
I felt early on, that as a person who believes in the power of a personal brand, that social media can be an incredibly positive and powerful tool.
But on September 9th, 2015, at around 7:40 pm. I took it off my phone. Along with twitter (which I've never really used), and Instagram, which I use a bit. I didn't delete any accounts and kept the messenger function, but something in me just said. Enough.
I've read a couple different articles in the past about people who have quit for a month and friends that give it up for lent, but I've never been one. To be clear, I may not quit at all. But last week, I needed a break.
I have, over the last 7 years, done my best to try an be positive on the social medias. Snarky, yes, misconstrued, sometimes, an a-hole, allegedly. I try and steer clear of religion, politics and sex, and despite what some may think, try to not get too caught up in it all.
Last Wednesday I realized that I was going the other direction. Nothing terribly offensive, but the banter turned a little harsh, and I thought for a moment, "Why am even bothering with commenting on this?"
"Do I even care about this?" "Does this subject, even affect me, and if not, why am I bothering with it, unless just to be an asshole?"
I pulled the rip cord. 7:47 p.m.
I of course wondered both if I would have withdrawals (no) and how long it would last (7 days). I didn't go in with the intent of quitting forever, but heres a few things I divined from a week without engaging on social media.
- Nothing happened. Well, nothing important. I have 138 notifications to tend to, but so what.
- I do a lot of business and branding on FB. Im not saying I "need" to be on it, but I have invested in it both with time and $. If I am quitting, I'm not going out with a fizzle.
- Social media IS the way people interact beyond their inner small circle. There is no denying that I get a ton of information, some of it even useful, via SOME.
- We all like pictures, and Instagram is cool. But damn, I (and you) take some stupid ass pics of some uninteresting ass shit. I also became acutely aware of people composing their next "cool" shot. It's effing exhausting when you step back from it. With that being said, I am going to start another IG account for our new dog @izzydingo. Gotta get rich some way, and apparently exploiting your kids on there for money is frowned upon. Uptight assholes.
- I will formulate more of a conscious plan for my usage and will likely not be putting either apps on my phone anytime soon. Last night I attended an event that encouraged hashtagging and the like so I reloaded twitter and instagram. I got home around 10, and at 10:30 I was still scrolling through some mundane ass pics of stuff I don't care about. For 38 mins. It's a time suck.
- I'll likely disregard everything I have learned in the last week and be a mindless user in a month. You've been warned.
Hugs + High fives,
PF
