The hardest part was missing out on what was going on that day. I actually missed one of my good friend's birthdays because I rely on Facebook to remind me and I wasn't on that day to see the notification. I felt horrible! This is similar to the way I felt when I took a month long hiatus from social media in the past. I missed out on important dates, dogs passing, baby announcements, and more. Most people join social media as a way to stay connected with others so it's difficult to take a break and miss out on what is going on in other people's lives. Sometimes I wonder if the constant life updates that are supposed to bring us closer together actually create distance though. People wonder if something is wrong when a friend doesn't like or comment on a photo. Or they become offended if a loved one doesn't reach out about a status update. The rising pressure to keep up with everyone creates too much guilt, and the expectations aren't realistic. That's why it's nice to take a break once in a while and reconnect with yourself instead.
Social media platforms are dangerously addictive. The feedback loop of validation we find ourselves craving isn't healthy. The reactions, the comments, the friends, and the shares aren't a true reflection of who we are as people and this became more evident to me during my hiatus. While taking my break, I was physically present when I spent time with my husband. I experienced emotions and sensations without worrying about snapping a photo of my dinner or videotaping that funny thing my dog did. It was nice not feeling like I had to pick up my cell phone and use it to filter, edit, delete, and tune out the world around me. I went on more walks, read a book, watched a movie, exercised, and spent more quality time with my family. Overall, the detox was a great experience and I think I'm going to do it more often.
What great insights. I think you make a great connection with the thought that maybe social media is causing a bit of 'memory loss' so to speak. With all the reminders and updates about everything going on constantly coming across our feeds, we are expected less to actually pay attention to our friends and family and what is going on because hey, they will post it or the feed will remind us or update us. It's funny that you mention filters and editing because I never knew how to use them and my friends always got mad because I would just post without using them. But I am someone who is kind of a no filter person in life... no make-up, etc so it doesn't bother me. But now I am trying to at least crop a photo and adjust the lighting before uploading. I don't get crazy though. If it requires too much, then it doesn't need to be posted as far as I'm concerned. I guess I've always used FB as a personal digital photo albulm (and I get a great memory feed too). I'm glad you had a great detox experience :)
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