Toxic Technology?

So I've come to the conclusion ( again!) that I want to leave social media. This isn't easy, but I feel like I'm not the only one... 

It's strange because I've been here before - I left Facebook and deactivated my account a couple of years ago.

The irony is that the peace and quiet was blissful - I found myself able to read books again, my attention span returning and feeling less stressed and anxious. 

But I got pulled back in. I found myself sneaking onto Instagram because it was a "nicer" platform and before I knew it I was right back in there again, checking my phone every few minutes for updates, new pictures, and feeling scattered and distracted, my mental health dipping again.

Now as with any addiction, and I believe this is what we are all dealing with here when it comes to social media, there is a part of me that definitely doesn't want to quit.

Part of me that desperately wants to keep the connections albeit superficial and without a lot of meaning, and that is what I'm struggling with at the moment. 

I've given myself this weekend to consider it properly, and in the meantime I've already deactivated my Facebook.

I have to admit it's a strange feeling, having been on Facebook since 2009, and pressing the button was very emotional, but it had to be done. I actually felt relief after having done it, and I just need to rip off the bandaid (plaster) with Insta now, and we're done.

I deleted my Twitter account without hesitation. It's a platform I've never really enjoyed or got much out of, but felt I "should" have a presence on. 

But now I'm beginning to realise that you don't "need" a presence on any of these accounts, and in fact I want to help draw people away from social media sites and back into their own lives, into themselves again.

~

I made a meme a few months ago, as a joke about how much time I often end up on social media with an image from the movie Interstellar where they're on a planet on which one hour there is 7 years on earth. I titled it "what scrolling social media is like." While it was intended as humour, it also made me feel uncomfortable and realise just how difficult it is to regulate your time spent on these sites, and intentionally so.

I'm aware of the addictive qualities of the "endless scroll" and the intentionally intrusive notifications - I learned about how and why they work on a digital marketing course a few years ago and that was when I started to realise just how much I disliked the tactics and what they were doing to people.

But worse than that, I also sense a darker presence online, and my guides gave me the words "soul sapping" to describe what happens to you when you spend too much time looking at the tiny screen and mindlessly liking posts. You may literally start to lose soul fragments, and that's bad.

I spent a while trying to justify all the reasons I needed to stay on social media, but recognised myself making the same excuses that I would expect to hear from any addict, regardless of the "drug" of choice.

I've run out of excuses, and this being the year of 2020 vision, I feel it's finally time to be very brave, and I mean brave because it feels terrifying, and take the leap.

Part of me is scared, but I also know that it's going to be a very peaceful journey, like waking up from a deep sleep. 

Who wants to come with me?