Social media is a gift and a curse, if not used properly it will steal your time and leave you feeling empty. If I never had social media in my life I’m sure I would add at least an extra hour to my day and have a slightly better attention span.
I think at some point in time the people that can concentrate their attention for longer than 5 minutes are going to be highly valued because the amount of us that won’t even be able to pay attention to a tweet will become overwhelming and self destructive to the human race.
They’ll also make a film about it and it’s going to be great, truthful, hurtful but great. Think of a feature length episode of Black Mirror.
FOMO? (Fear Of Missing Out) When I first saw these letters and understood their meaning my inner voice laughed. “Me scared of missing out? Ha”. But this is a very real thing and if it’s not a fear I at least have something nagging me saying “You should see what’s happening quickly. Go on, just a quick scroll.” But that’s a lie, it’s never just a quick scroll… it’s NEVER ENDING.
I had challenged myself to stay off social media for 100 days initially because I thought I was addicted. I was completely wrong, It was the idea of boredom sitting still and doing nothing that troubled me. What’s more troubling is I was completely unaware of it. I did not know I had a need to fill every quiet moment. (The meditators booed!)
If I had free time I would always check social media. Even if I didn’t have free time I would check social media.
Wake up in the morning, social media.
Go in the bathroom to brush my teeth, SOCIAL MEDIA.
Eating food? Let me scroll Instagram with my free hand.
I was stuck, I was some sort of scrolling zombie, not really looking for anything just scrolling.
During the break I didn’t miss anything, sadly I filled the gap with something which could be considered more constructive. During the 100 days I would read a book or an article for as long as I could stay focused for. I would talk to people (yes I read that sentence in disgust).
What drew me back was simply the fact that I completed the 100 day challenge. I’m not on social media everyday now… it’s every other day.
After my rehabilitation I use an app called Moment that monitors phone usage, how many times I’ve picked up my device and how long I’ve spent on an app. I’ve cut my entire phone usage in half. Which feels really good. (No I’m not telling you how long I used to spend on my phone because it makes me sick thinking about it.)
The only advice I can pass on is every time you open a social media app have a reason why. Know what your intention is rather than senselessly consuming garbage.