To do the writing challenge, I decided to give up social media for a month. I gave up iPhone games as well. How did that go?
Day 1
Yes, I’m 28 minutes into it and all is well.
- No Twitter. I could care less. I’m visual, so Twitter is a secondary social media for me.
- No Facebook. I’m only worried about Project Warm Us updates. Facebook is crucial for communicating the needs of the homeless in the winter months.
- No Pinterest. I rarely use Pinterest, so no big deal. I have plenty of ideas, I just need time to do them. My Pinterest use is more sharing than idea surfing.
- No Instagram. Okay, you got me on this one. I’m an instajunkie, so this will be a challenge. I don’t know why I love it so much. Maybe love is not the right word. Addicted? Yes, that’s a better choice.
I love making photo creations, just to post on Instagram. I try to take funny and creative photos. Once I’ve posted my good stuff, then I take them all and superimpose them to make instaArt, or at least art as I see it. It’s a creative outlet for me. I’ll still do that, but without the #validation of other people telling me how cool my stuff is or trying to receive so many likes that Instagram has to place a number on it instead of listing all of the names. It’s no secret why we all like social media. Well, at least not for me. I’m mostly uncomfortable around people. It’s my way to interact without having to get too close.
Day 2
Just not missing it at all.
Day 5
I kinda miss the games. No, not Candy Crush. I only play puzzle or word games. Words with Friends and Scramble with Friends were the only two.
You know what I find interesting about the games? I was playing several people at one point. All of the games I play show a list of who’s recently played and the last time they played. Some people just stop playing with you, but you can see they’re still playing with other people. Rejection. Same with texts now on the iPhone. You can see when your message is delivered and when it’s read. No more procrastinating! They know you saw it. Quit trying to come up with a reason why you haven’t answered. “My kid had my phone.” Oh well, it’s not like anyone will say anything about it. But make no mistake, they know.
Day 12
I don’t really miss social media. There are a few times when I see something funny and I want to photograph it and post it. I think people need funny stuff. Not necessarily mine, just in general.
My future posts on social media need to be “value adds.” I want to add value to people’s lives. Not just tell them I’m doing laundry or that I have great kids.
Day 19
Still not missing it. Actually, I’m realizing I’m better off without it. Of course I run into the conversations of, “Did you see about so and so on Facebook? They blah, blah, blah . . .” Nope. I didn’t see anything. Others will keep you up to date. You won’t be the first to know anything, but who cares?
Day 26
I finished the writing challenge early and decided to get on Facebook. I did this to follow up on Project Warm Us and to share a blog post. Yes, it’s the same as before. Your team won. Like. You had a great date night. Like. Bible verse. Like. Funny quote. Like. What’s your favorite whatever? Whatever answer. Like. Everyone’s life looks better than mine.
I posted a pic on Instagram too. I flipped through a few photos, liked a couple, and have no desire to go in there again.
Day 30
I suppose people will expect me to be back tomorrow in partial reality fantasy world. I say partial because we only post what we want people to see. On the flip side of that, I do “like” seeing what my friends are up to. I “like” the conversations and debates. I “like” all of the photos and art posts.
I’ll be back. Maybe less, maybe more. Either way, I hope to be a value add to anything I do online. I believe social media can benefit all of us, if we choose to use it in healthy ways.
Photo credit: happierhuman.com