Occasionally, the tyranny of social and news media becomes too much for me to handle.
About ten days ago, I reached my limit, full up to here with the naïveté of the left, the mendacity of the right, the fear-mongering of the media, and the narcissistic selfishness of humanity in general.
I needed a break. From damned near everything.
Thus, with my head full of rebellious fervor, I imposed a total embargo on social media and placed serious sanctions on my consumption of news reportage.
What followed was the quietest, calmest week I’ve had in a long time.
I’ve done this before—my last “social media fast” was early in 2020, before the sh!t truly hit the fan—but each time I do this, once I go back to the watering hole, my screen-time slowly creeps upward until it’s pretty much a constant.
Also, after each self-imposed exile, I slowly forget what it’s like to have so much time on my hands. I forget what it’s like to walk from room to room carrying a book instead of some internet-linked device. I forget what it’s like not to fret about whom I’ve upset online (or who has upset me). I forget that, though the cable news reports 24/7, I am not required to drink from that fire-hose at the same rate.
Since beginning this semi-blackout, I’ve read half of a lengthy book, cleaned the matted detritus off my roof, had in-depth conversations with my wife, binge-watched a Finnish crime drama (and kept up with all its twists and turns), tried out a new bread recipe, and made massive progress on a project I’m working on (more on that next week).
The siren song of social media is strong, though, and when I broke fast and “popped online” for a bit yesterday, I felt the tug of engagement and ersatz approbation that is the digital opioid for my self-esteem. And this led me to a realization:
If I dive back in, I’ll be back here in 12–18 months.
So I’m going to try taking another tack, one I learned from my decades in IT: timeboxing.
I’m going to designate specific days of the week where I engage with social media, and for certain hours of those days. Initially, I figured one day a week would be fine, but realized that the conversational nature of social media would be lost if a whole week went by (a digital eternity) between call and response.
My plan right now is to engage only on two, perhaps three days a week, and then only within a window of time, like between getting off work and sitting down to dinner. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday seems like a good mix.
If you want to try this—and I recommend it to everyone—be prepared. It does take some discipline, as we are all, to some degree, addicted to social media. And I recommend also the cold-turkey method because it is highly illuminating as regards how much of a total time-suck Facebook and all the other venues actually are. So . . .
Put down the phone.
Open the door.
Step outside.
Enjoy.
k
People think I’m funny for keeping my flip phone, refusing to join Facebook (or Twitter or Pinstagram…. [that’s an intentional error, BTW]) but I’ve never felt the pull to keep checking stuff. We’ve also refused to purchase satellite access, so if we don’t have access to wifi at an RV park or campground, we head out to a local hotspot. And with Covid lingering, invisible, stalking us all, we limit our time in such spots.
All of that means I’ve learned to make my online time count. I make a list of things I want to do online, write blog posts and other messages before I go online; I do everything I can think of to make my online time as efficient as possible. Get online, get off.
Sort of reminds me of my mom when I was on the telephone as a teenager: Just get on, say what you need to say, and hang up.
Hope your plan keeps working for you, Kurt! Offline is good 🙂
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You realize, of course, that you’re quite the outlier in this regard. But I envy it, to a degree. I’m hoping to achieve a better balance.
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Love it! We need real world, tactile experiences mixed with our virtual connections. Bravo to you.
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Thanks, Kay. I just want to create a pattern where I don’t burn out like this every 12-18 months. Doing more real-world activities is a definite bonus.
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Bravo, my friend! I just hopped back on da Book to promote my business, and I have lost at least a day and a half settling back in the cockpit and trying to figure out how to drive the beast after a couple of years away. Eeeeeegaaaads. ‘Tis wondrous disturbing, and I have been thinking along the lines of your recommendations myself, quite seriously. There needs to be time to create. Thanks for writing this!
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It’s just too easy to experience “lost time” when on “da Book.” 😉
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Another pro-tip is to turn off Notifications for these applications, so you don’t have the little red “Feed Me” badge taunting you on tablets and phones.
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