My Social Media Fast
Social Media. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit. It seems like it's everywhere, permeating our lives with its presence. Almost everyone you know is on at least one platform and more people are joining every day. But people are also leaving platforms in droves, either permanently or for a short “fast”, for a variety of reasons, privacy concerns, mental health needs, minimizing their online presence, online bullying, a bad breakup, or wanting to spend more time in reality, everyone who leaves has a reason. There are tons of blog posts, tweets, facebook posts, and “stories” about why someone is leaving the platform and why you should, too.
And yes, I'm adding another “I'm leaving social media” blog post to the pile. But I hope mine is a little different. I'm not going to provide reasons why you should leave social media or provide tips for leaving (as I've done in the past). I'm not going to berate you for continuing to use the platforms or list 5 reasons why a certain online platform is evil and will steal all your data. I'm trying not to take a “holier than thou” or “this is how you should live your life” approach to this whole thing. Simply put, this post is not a guide to quitting social media or an essay to convince you to quit. It's a thoughtful look at my own social media usage, how it affects my life, my mood, my mind, and how I'm going to handle taking a break for a while.
First, the confessional. I spend a lot of time on social media. Probably about an average amount of time, maybe a couple of hours a day some days, maybe 30 minutes another. I check or post to a social media site at least once a day. I spend most of my time on Twitter, Reddit, and Instagram. I don't interact with most of the posts I see or people who I follow, but when I see something that really strikes me as interesting I'll like it or retweet it, and sometimes, very rarely, I'll comment. Most of the time, it's mindless, endless scrolling. Sometimes I fall asleep scrolling and accidentally tap a link or like a post that I didn't mean to like. It's a problem.
Now, the challenge. There are numerous reasons for “fasting”. People do it for religious reasons, health reasons, for fun, or for medical reasons. Fasting is usually associated with food, although lately it's been associated with lots of things, especially technology-related things. Fasting, generally, is to go without something in order to gain some reward. Sometimes it's spiritual enlightenment, sometimes it's realizing how blessed we are to have food, and sometimes it's great health benefits. My social media fast is for one big reason: I want to focus all of my time and attention on family and friends this month. It's Christmas time and we have a lot of parties, family gatherings, dinners, and more. I don't want to bury my face in my phone while I'm with family. I don't want to try to get the perfect Instagram shot of the tree or Santa or some presents (although I'm still going to take lots of pictures). I don't want to worry about what someone else got under their tree or what yummy food someone else is eating or cool parties or how much snow some other city got. I want to focus on the tangible, real-time events happening around me. In short: I want to be 100% present and aware this month.
So, for the entire month of December, I will not be browsing Twitter or scrolling Facebook. I won't be double-tapping on Instagram photos or tapping through stories. I won't be worrying about likes or laugh emojis or retweets or followers. I will be focusing on hugs and smiles and laughter and the sound of tearing wrapping paper and the witty banter at family dinner and the smell of fresh crepes and the look of joy on my daughter's face as she opens her presents and the twinkle of Christmas lights and the stillness before snow starts falling. I'll be living in the moment. Feel free to join me. This isn't a challenge or an invitation or a mandate. Think of this as an open suggestion. I don't think it will be too difficult to live without being constantly connected, but I hope the effects are felt and have a lasting impact.
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