Is It Time for a Digital Detox?
Have you considered doing a digital detox? I’m considering it. I’ve already made a concerted effort to reduce my social media use for over a year now. I’m thinking the next step is to do a full detox. Maybe for a few days, or week, to see what it feels like.
I’ve grappled with taking a full hiatus, as I do like checking in with others on social media. I want to keep my accounts going, even though I have friends who have deleted them. Those friends report back that they feel good about having done so. I’m taking into consideration that I don’t want to play an “all or nothing” game.
I’m trying to figure out what’s the ‘right’ amount of online networking time for me. I believe I would sense the benefits from leaving social media altogether, although I question if that would be too extreme. I feel I still find value from the positive aspects of interacting in these spaces. I like having access to so many people I know and to have an easy way to be updated with them.
I'm aware of the downsides of spending my time and attention on these platforms. I’ve been following the growing research over the years and listening to those within the tech field who speak of the downfalls of social media. I write and speak about those aspects regularly. As I weigh the pros and cons, I'm determined to find the middle ground that works for me.
Am I just prolonging the inevitable? Will I leave those online pastures for real life pastures? I remember the time when I realized checking Facebook first thing in the morning had replaced checking my email. This wasn’t a conscious choice, yet my behavior shifted.
For nearly a year now, checking Facebook is no longer my morning ritual. In fact I do my best to prolong going online at all for the start of my day. Going online is a daily (multiple) occurrence, but I’m more consciously deliberate of those instance.
If I remain within the social media space, I'm going to do my best to be true to myself. I notice I find myself having less desire to share my thoughts in these spaces. I’ve been on Facebook for 15 years, so I can’t simply say it’s because the novelty has worn off. There’s a confluence of factors that seems to have made the interactions less enjoyable. It’s like the 'rules' of the game kept changing, and not for the better.
I believe, cumulatively, there's less value being placed on people having genuine discussions on what matters to them. The ‘heyday’ of having engagement with nuanced perspectives appears to have run its course on those major platforms. Censorship and self-censorship are at new heights as well. Bringing me to question: "what's the point in sharing here?”
Over the past year others have tried to entice me to try other platforms. I'm not finding these propositions alluring either. Basically, I feel like it would be trading out one social media attention vortex for another. In the broader context, relative to my own focus and means of distraction, I see any of these platforms as mostly the same.
I don’t think I’m on the market looking for new platforms. If I'm going to be of "the grass is greener on the other side" mindset, I'm looking at pastures that are more fulfilling than these platforms allow. May real life, old school relating come back into style. I think for many it already has. Perhaps, this is what awakens when one does a digital detox.