Hey There!

 

Welcome! Thanks for checking out my little social experiment. Let's start things off with an honest question: Are you a little burned out by social media?

For many of us, the answer is a pretty exhausted "Ugh. YES," accompanied by your head thrown back in absolute fatigue from the constant pressure of it all: posting all the memes, demonstrating just how good you are at homeschooling your perfectly behaved children, sharing that perfect selfie (after approximately 5,729 deleted attempts in your camera roll), or getting wrapped up in a political debate that feels more like banging your head against a brick wall than engaging in meaningful discourse. And the comments section. Heaven helps us, the comments section. The list goes on for a while.

Maybe you've sat with the question for a little bit and, like many of us, you're not sure if you're really burned out. Sure, social platforms have their aggravations, but they do hold some value. We can keep up with our friends and family (which, in a pandemic, is critical to our mental wellbeing). We have the ability to seek and share information, get fun crafting ideas. 

If we dig a little deeper into our honesty, is it also true that we enjoy social media because that's just what we do? 

Do you check your feed before hopping out of bed? Is it in front of you while you're eating your breakfast? When you're at a standstill (waiting for your coffee order, between ad breaks on Hulu, biding your time while your dog finally decides to do her business on your long walk)? I don't even wait for boredom to set in. Boredom sticks its head around the corner and I've already got my phone out. My muscle memory to seek out my favorite apps is instantaneous.

Are you addicted to your phone? To social media?

The instant reaction is likely a "No! Of course not!" You might even say, "I know there's a problem in our culture, but I'm not part of it," or even "I can take a break anytime I want to."

Okay, cool. How about taking a break now?

Now?

You bet. No time like the present and all that.

But I use it for work.

I'm aware that many people use social media platforms for business purposes. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about our personal use, our day-to-day jaunts through the comments section, the constant refreshing of our feed to see if anyone else commented, or liked my picture of my kid's sidewalk art.

Now see here, you weirdo, I'm not quitting cold turkey.

Neither am I. What I'm doing is a month off of social media and, probably, a heavier restriction on my phone usage in general. 30 days of social media detox. Before Day 1, I'll share how I'm setting myself up to take a break from social media for just a hair over 4 weeks.

But my friends! My family! They'll think I died or something!

Not if you make a quick post before logging off for the month. Make it your own, but explain what you're doing and make yourself available via text/calling/email/Zoom/DM or whatever you prefer to use for primary communication. (Pro tip: You can deactivate Facebook temporarily, for example, and still use their Messenger app to stay connected.) I'll share more on this in my next post.

You can't make me!

No, I definitely can't. I might be the only one doing this. But before you write this challenge off as being completely out of the question, ask yourself why. Sit with your objections for a little while, and then, if you decide you still don't want to participate, no sweat! But if you do attempt the challenge with me, I have a feeling we'll come out the other side with a better understanding of the relationships around us, the world around us, and, I hope, a better mental/emotional wellbeing. (Maybe better physical wellbeing too! Shoot for the moon, I say.)

Fine. I guess it can't hurt to try.

I knew you'd warm up to me.

So, now what?

For now, the best thing you can do is stay tuned to this blog (you can subscribe using the button on the top of this page). I hope to share one article a day during our challenge (nothing crazy long, so you're not on your phone all day, wink wink!). If you're doing this in real-time with us, we'll start our social media detox on Sunday, November 1, 2020.

November?! But don't you know that there's an election?

I'm quite aware.

And I can't post my "I Voted" selfie?

You're on the honor system here. But I won't be. Or, if it means that much to you, vote early and post it before the challenge begins.

Well, this already sucks.

It might not be fun. But I have a feeling it'll be for my own good. And, hopefully, yours too.

[Later this week, I'll share a few ideas to get us started before we start our challenge. I'll see you back here in a few days! Be sure to enter your email in the "Subscribe" space at the top of the page, and you'll get an email when I've got a new post for you.]