Today, I return to social media, having given up interaction for Lent. Throughout Lent, I have gone from missing social media interaction, to welcoming the lack of knowledge about people's lives, and back to missing it again.
I think what I have missed of social media is the few people I don't keep in touch with any other way, in whom I am genuinely interested. I've missed being able to ask 800 people at the same time whether the buses are running or what is going on with this or that news story. Realistically though, that sort of thing only makes up about 10% of social media, doesn't it. There's a whole lot of bitching and sniping and crap which you can't help but get sucked into if you're there watching it, but it does nothing for you but bring you down.
On Good Friday, I was looking forward to getting back to social media. Then I stumbled across this article by someone who did a "Facebook detox." In it, the author makes a few salient points: that if you're on Facebook, you're so busy living in someone else's present, you're not living in your own; that we can often get caught up with what people we barely know think of our ideas and desires, rather than our own opinions; that so much of what you see on social media is negative, and it's difficult to filter all of it out.
It has been interesting, over the course of Lent, to see who has stayed in touch with me. It has also been refreshing to hear only the things my friends feel warrant a phone call, email or text. Things have been quiet, and sometimes that has felt rather lonely. But it's also been quite refreshing and relaxing not to be vaguely involved in all sorts of randomness that I used to see on Facebook and Twitter all day, every day.
Although I am looking forward to going back to my newsfeed, I don't think I'll be spending so much time on there!
Simon's thoughts:
You can follow me there @simonontheradio
Simon's thoughts:
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| Taking joy in the simple things in life: piggy backs at Hengistbury Head |
It’s Easter Sunday and the end of what has felt like a really long 40 days off Social Media.
Long not because I’ve been missing it or pining for it especially but having logged in and seen the last event I tweeted and posted about (a photo at a gig on the 4th March) feels so long ago.
I’ve had a lot of fun since then. Fun doing mostly the everyday stuff that I’ve always done.
I’ve read a few articles from other people about giving up facebook and found myself nodding in agreement to many of them.
Sarah Anne Stewart is really spot on when she says : “When you're on Facebook 24/7 you aren’t living in the present, focusing fully and savouring the experience that's right in front of you.
Facebook had been really useful to help me through an unsettled few months.
It was there as a reassurance in lieu of someone special in my life and stopped me needlessly rushing off to fill that gap.
No need for pills, no need to sit around and feel remote when your social network is just a few clicks away.
But just like the role anti-depressants play in some people’s lives it was only really there to help me cope with the low times.
As for Twitter I’ll be continuing to use that as a way to connect with the audience of the radio station at which I work.
Although it looks like I have picked up more followers by doing nothing so clearly the broadcasting maxim of “less is more” applies to tweeting too.
Well its nice to have you back, it seems to have been ages.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to take a break once in a while
ReplyDelete