It’s one over 1 month of being off major social media platforms. It’s been silent like a tomb. It’s like taking a step outside a snow globe. I’ll be honest. It’s lonely. Will this fact sucker me to return after my detox? I’m not sure. We shall see come January.
Tag: Phone Addiction
Detox Week 2
Today is 2 weeks of me surviving being off of social media. It felt at first challenging to not want to log on, but now that I’ll be going into week 3, that urge is dissipating. I think I’m starting to get used to the silence. It’s like being invisible, though you are very much alive.
Will I return come January 15th/16th? I might. I might not. Will returning change anything? The only thing I see it changing is providing an easy way for people to stay in contact. That’s it. Will people reach out more when and if I return? I highly doubt it. Maybe I’m transforming into a pessimist, but when society lives virtually is it really all that surprising?
True connection has been turned into a little box to type, add cute emoji’s to match the mood and sentiment. Sterile. As a society we’ve settled for digital affection. Our brains have gotten used to our Pavlovian response to notifications. Will our virtual life get likes? Does anyone give a bleep? It seems we are gradually going from flesh and blood humans into technical beings. Is that progress? Honestly I believe it’s by design, planned and not an accident. We’ve become digital zombies and that’s what they want.
Detox Interview
Thanks to my BFF Ashley who inspired me to join her in a 90 day social media detox. She thought it’d be fun to interview her on how her detox is going so far. Below are her thoughts and answers to my questions. Enjoy. It just may inspire you to join us.
What inspired you to do a 90 day detox?
I was on my phone too much. Mainly on FB. It’s highly addictive and there is mostly politics on there. It’s really depressing now. You’re hearing you get reprimanded for certain posts. I find myself scrolling for no reason. Now I don’t see the point with FB, they’re silencing people. It’s become not a respectable company. Social media is addictive. Doctors have said it’s a bad habit of hunching over and people don’t talk to each other any more. For example when, having family time family members will just be on their phones. The evolution of technology is doing more harm than good.
Why did you pick 90 days instead of 30?
I think 90 is more of a challenge. Having a longer time to go without it is more beneficial.
What positives have come out of this so far? I’m more productive. I feel relieved, liberated and free. I don’t have the urge to check my social media. I’m able to concentrate on certain things. Now when I get off work I immediately plug my phone in to charge it and leave it there.
What negatives have come out of this so far? I find myself having the urge to check my phone to check the time. I only check my email and text messages. It shows how the addiction to technology has developed. If you don’t check your social media when you have it you may get anxiety.
What advice would you give to someone contemplating taking a detox off social media?Start small. For example try to set an alarm to only check your social media for a certain time frame. Get to a point where you challenge yourself to be off it for 90 days and see how it affects you, good or bad.
Detox: Day 7
Well today marks day 7 of being off major social media platforms. Boy is it quiet. It truly puts into perspective how a lot of communication is strictly virtual via a social media platform instead of by direct communication.
Honestly it’s depressing. Maybe others feel like they want to give me the personal space while I do this 90 days of no social media. On the other hand, it’s proving that as soon as I jump back on I’ll probably get an assortment of “Welcome back,” comments. Though I’ve been accessible this whole time.
Am I going to return to social media? The depressed side of me is like, “I can’t not go back….how will people keep in contact with me easily?” The healthy side of me is like, “Why shackle yourself again to the addiction?”
A week in feels like it’s been months. That’s just how tough this detox is. And to think I still have a long way to go till 1-15-22.
How To Break Up With Your Phone
I’m guilty of phone addiction. It’s become a crutch to living our lives online vs outwardly. It’s an easy way to communicate on the go, or research a topic, but the myriad app options are time suckers. I don’t know how many times I’ve gone to check FB, Twitter, or IG and time has flown by. Did I do anything productive in my time online? I might have, but then again I may have just scrolled to see if anyone replied to a post of mine. Usually only a small handful do. Was it worth all that time lost? Approval addiction is an ugly beast that has a big appetite that demands to be fed constantly. That’s why when we don’t check our phones we get antsy.
I recently read the very short book Off which is a similar book to How To Break Up With Your Phone by Catherine Price; the difference is that this later book was more in depth. The information packed into this little yellow book is disturbing, convicting, enlightening and depressing.
How To Break Up With Your Phone talks about the behind the scenes ways your smartphone is designed on purpose to be addictive and how apps like FB, IG, etc. are set up to suck you in. The chapter on FB creeped me out. Tomorrow I’m deleting my FB account. My friends are like, “I’m sad to see you leave.” Are you kidding me? I haven’t passed on. I’m still reachable by phone, text, in person, snail mail. That social media platform has become a true social crutch and made people lazy to directly communicate with each other offline. It makes me sick because it shows you aren’t worth keeping in contact with unless you are on FB. This book also, discusses how phone addiction has changed our mental states and ways in which we are able to focus. ADHD, anxiety challenges anyone? I know I have anxiety, but that’s probably from my coffee addiction. Lastly, this book gives you a thirty day step by step plan on how to break up with your phone and take back control of your life. The step by step guide is thoughtful and I can’t wait to complete it.
I received my copy of How To Break Up With Your Phone for free from Blogging For Books in exchange for my review. This book should be required reading for schools, work places, friends, family, etc. Let’s be present in our lives. We each have allotted time and who wants to waste it glued to a screen?
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