I love social media. I love getting my social, sport, political and world news all in once place on Twitter. I love Pinterest. And I really, really enjoy Instagram, especially during Fall and Spring Fashion Week.
Facebook can be a complete and utter waste of time and brain cells for me, though. It's totally distracting. Then there is the issue of talking to a friend and not having anything new to say because I have posted every meaningless thought and song lyric as a status update, and linked my Instagram uploads to my newsfeed. Want to know what I had for lunch yesterday? Check my Facebook timeline.
Okay, I'm not that bad, but you know the people who are that bad? I can teeter on that line.
Is it a lack of adult human interaction or just a desperate attempt at exercising the voices in my head? I'm not yet sure.
There is also something to be said about leaving some mystery to your life. It's sort of like dressing. If you flaunt all your goodies, you lose all your mystery and expose obvious insecurities. Likewise, if I'm constantly telling everyone about everything I'm doing, is it some twisted way of gaining attention? Or worse, do I think I'm that important that everyone must be graced with my inner thoughts and wisdom?
So, when I feel myself getting too Facebook happy I put myself on detox. I deactivate my account for a few months and enjoy life sans obsessive compulsive status update checking, because most of the time I end up checking status updates without even realizing what I'm doing. My fingers swipe my phone to open and check mail, then the next thing you know I'm reading people's thoughts and frustrations and getting bombarded with very tempting sales and products from the companies I "like". Dangerous ground. I only have so much willpower.
Now for a few months I will live blissfully unaware of what friends, some of who I barely even see anyway, are doing. I won't know what fabulous new products Athleta has debuted for Spring. Alright that one was a lie because the catalog is on my desk with flagged pages of what I want need this year. Yes, need. But at least I won't be reminded of it so often.
Since I will be largely unaware of what friends are up to, I am forced to now reach out to them properly, either by phone, e-mail or traditional mail. And I do enjoy writing letters. Pretty stationary and pretty stamps. It is so romantic. Of course this also encourages more personal writing and reflection because I have to actually form complete thoughts, something I should probably practice more anyway since I suffer from lack of mouth filter. Yes, I should probably think before I speak more often. (Note: This paragraph is meant to be read in a British accent, as that is the voice in which it was written in my head.)
Since I will be largely unaware of what friends are up to, I am forced to now reach out to them properly, either by phone, e-mail or traditional mail. And I do enjoy writing letters. Pretty stationary and pretty stamps. It is so romantic. Of course this also encourages more personal writing and reflection because I have to actually form complete thoughts, something I should probably practice more anyway since I suffer from lack of mouth filter. Yes, I should probably think before I speak more often. (Note: This paragraph is meant to be read in a British accent, as that is the voice in which it was written in my head.)
A comprehensive research tool for homemakers, educators, designers and party planners alike, Pinterest will never be a victim of social media detox on my watch. I am actually pretty productive when consumed with it, and there is never the risk of saying or commenting on something I haven't quite thought through yet. I am ever so grateful for the memes, such as the one above, that voice inner thoughts for me. The only guilt I have to deal with is the one associated with agreeing or laughing hysterically at all the inappropriate memes pinned.
