What Will I Learn??
So, I noticed a trend among myself and my friends. We are all constantly connected to our phones. This statement is not judging anyone. It is really a judgement of myself and simply observations that I have seen. When we go out to dinner or take the time to hang out, I notice us all reaching for our phones from time to time and that we are present with each other physically, but not fully present with each other mentally. Instead, we are focussed on the world of social media. My commitment is one year of being social media free. So far, I have deleted instagram and twitter. I am in the process of deleting FB but had wanted to save my pictures in case I decide to never go back. Essentially, I will not save them all, but I will save what I can and get off of there today.
I perceive that there will be some difficulties associated with this.
#1 -- School!!!! -- My kids' school regularly posts their activities and special things online through FB. I don't see this ending and know that I am going to miss what they post. I hope by speaking with the kids' principals and teachers that they will be able to help me stay on top of things through emails. I am also hopeful that I can stay on top of things with the parent group, but at this point I can only do what is available and I pray that I don't miss things.
#2-- The Not Knowing -- With FB, Intagram, Snapchat, and Twitter, I always know what my friends and family are doing. I get to see my friends' kids grow up and I get to celebrate in their joys and mourn their sorrows. I get to feel close to those who are so far away. However, the reverse side of this has been that I am sometimes far away from those who are right in front of me.
#3 -- Social Media Addiction is Real -- What is the first thing that you do when you wake up? Do you pick up your phone before you get out of bed? What is the last thing that you do before going to sleep at night? Are you looking at your phone as you drift off? I do all of these things. I also feel the gratification that comes with likes and comments and the self motivation to do things a certain way to share with the world an idealized version of myself and my family. Even though I try to keep it real, there are times that this is just not the case and I push through depression or hurt/anger with a smile in my selfie to look good on Instagram or Snapchat. The mental toll of doing this for years is something that I simply cannot understand until it has been removed.
So, of course, I think that leaving behind social media will be hard. It will be hard to not hear from friends and family in that way. It will be weird to not see my friends' kids growing up. When I see them, they will look so different and that surprise will be something that I am truly looking forward to. Regardless of what is happening in life and where we go....I know that myself and my family will be stronger. We will get through this and will be happier and healthier on the other side. So, here is to my year of living social media free. It's a year where I hope to see growth and changes.
I perceive that there will be some difficulties associated with this.
#1 -- School!!!! -- My kids' school regularly posts their activities and special things online through FB. I don't see this ending and know that I am going to miss what they post. I hope by speaking with the kids' principals and teachers that they will be able to help me stay on top of things through emails. I am also hopeful that I can stay on top of things with the parent group, but at this point I can only do what is available and I pray that I don't miss things.
#2-- The Not Knowing -- With FB, Intagram, Snapchat, and Twitter, I always know what my friends and family are doing. I get to see my friends' kids grow up and I get to celebrate in their joys and mourn their sorrows. I get to feel close to those who are so far away. However, the reverse side of this has been that I am sometimes far away from those who are right in front of me.
#3 -- Social Media Addiction is Real -- What is the first thing that you do when you wake up? Do you pick up your phone before you get out of bed? What is the last thing that you do before going to sleep at night? Are you looking at your phone as you drift off? I do all of these things. I also feel the gratification that comes with likes and comments and the self motivation to do things a certain way to share with the world an idealized version of myself and my family. Even though I try to keep it real, there are times that this is just not the case and I push through depression or hurt/anger with a smile in my selfie to look good on Instagram or Snapchat. The mental toll of doing this for years is something that I simply cannot understand until it has been removed.
So, of course, I think that leaving behind social media will be hard. It will be hard to not hear from friends and family in that way. It will be weird to not see my friends' kids growing up. When I see them, they will look so different and that surprise will be something that I am truly looking forward to. Regardless of what is happening in life and where we go....I know that myself and my family will be stronger. We will get through this and will be happier and healthier on the other side. So, here is to my year of living social media free. It's a year where I hope to see growth and changes.
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