My on/off relationship with social media is now cycling off. Again. I was really using only one platform: Mastodon. But about a week ago, I signed out everywhere and deleted the apps and bookmarks. I’ve done this before with other social networks. After spending time on them, I grow weary or disenchanted and try Social Media Distancing. Sometimes I detox and disconnect. Maybe this time, I’ll break the cycle for good. Quitting is easy; not restarting is hard.
Why step back and take a break? Will I quit forever?
One reason to log off is that I want my brain to be more focused on blogging. I don’t have a lot of time or mental capacity to habitually check social media, staying active and engaged to get the most out of it. Removing the time-consuming distraction should give me more time and energy for writing on my personal blog. And as I said a few weeks ago, if I had to choose between social media or blogging, the latter would definitely win.
There are other reasons to spend less time on social media. I’d like to give more time to better things like reading books or playing games or spending more time hanging out with my kids. I think all those are more enriching. What I’d really love to do is hike wooded trails more. I’m sure you could think of your own favorite pursuits in lieu of scrolling the socials.
Like other folks, I’ve found social media isn’t all that great. So I want to see what I feel like and how my brain adapts to not needing or wanting to check for new posts, waste time scrolling, or hope I got a good comment from someone important to me. Enough has been said about the ills of social media. So I’m taking time away from Mastodon, and if it works out well, I just might be forever done using social media.
All people seek happiness. We might all be more happy without social media than with it. Why not give it a try?
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