A week away from everyday life is always a wonderful experience for the mind. During those escapes I always find myself looking back at what life typically is at home. It’s those looking-glass moments that I can take stock of where I am in life and make some guiding decisions. On the way home yesterday, I chose to abandon social media in an effort to gain more out of life, and to use technology in a more meaningful way.
This isn’t the first time that I’ve thought about leaving social media behind. Years ago I posted about my growing uncertainty regarding the usage of technology and social media. The feelings in that post have evolved slightly, but remain the same in many aspects.
When I first started using social media it felt more like an outlet and another means of self expression. At the time I was a teenager, so self expression was paramount. My friends and I were were writing live journals, posting on forums, and customizing myspace profiles. I’d say this time was the most magical time on the Internet. We were having fun, being creative, and genuinely social via the internet. We were creating conversations, and pictures were just a small part of what we were posting online. And video? Not happening on dial-up. Experiences and were written about, not Instagrammed or Facebooked for likes.
Fast forward 15 years later and it seems the conversations have been swapped for likes and time spent conversing is now spent creating the perfect post to show what we have been up to. I don’t want to waste anymore time scrolling through like-bait images, or viewing quick snaps of what someone is doing at this very moment.
Don’t get me wrong, I still want to take photos of things going on in my life, but I’d prefer to do that without a smart phone, and without the need for instant gratification. I want to document life in my own way, and I don’t feel that social media is the way to do it. I also don’t feel that the world needs real-time updates of my life. We’re all drowning in a sea of information as it is.
Aside from my growing dislike of like-bait Instagram posts, I was recently inspired to consider ditching social media thanks to this post by Kirk Love, a longtime client, collaborator, and friend of Storyware. Kirk’s post explains why he ditched social media, and that he hasn’t missed it one bit. I have since kept up with Kirk’s blog each week. He’s producing interesting content and appears to be using his camera more than ever; both of which are exactly what I’d like to do more of.
I’m very excited about this decision to ditch social media. Instead of scrolling, I plan to start creating more meaningful experiences, and better content. I miss the days of consuming and creating long-form content. I also miss the days of using my digital camera as a creative outlet. My plan is to examine and to re-invent the way that I consume information and interact with technology outside of work. As they say, let’s make digital fun again. Stay tuned…
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