So I was off Social Media
Lent is a season of preparation, 40 days (like the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness), of giving something up or adding something to your life to center yourself back on Christ before celebrating His death and resurrection.
In the past when I have given up something - no lesson was learned - no preparation had happened - Easter rolled around and I went back to the thing immediately. But this time I wanted to be much more intentional so I decided to give up going on my social media; including TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Here is what I learned:
1) The Habit of Clicking
For the first couple days I kept accidentally opening the app that was in the place my instagram and tiktok used to be. I would find myself walking down the stairs mindlessly opening my phone - it just was habit. I recently watched the documentary "The Social Dilemma" and they talked about how phones and apps are literally designed to feel like slot machines to keep us addicted and attached and within 2 days of removing my social media apps I finally understood and believed them.
Take away: I will not be putting my sm apps back on my screen. In the time it takes to search for the app - it will make it an intentional choice and not a habit (hopefully).
2) No one cares if I post on IG & FB stories
I spend so much of my day snapping photos for my stories so people see what cute and fun things the baby and I are up to and hours after I would look to see who saw it - and 99% of the time no one would react at all. Without those apps, I still took pictures but I sent them to specific family and friends through text or snapchat. I found more value in this: they engaged, it was personal, we continued talking, and it built a relationship. I have a preview app to help me figure out which photos to post and how to caption it - I did not realize how much brain space that process took up.
Take away: Though I will live to post again, it is not posting on my feed or story that I am eager to get back to.
3) I missed my friends
I felt so very disconnected from my friends and the world - even my mom admitted that she would post photos and captions on facebook and forget that I hadn't seen it. I still called and texted my friends - it was lovely. But I missed seeing what my peers and acquaintances were up to, what my friends were excited to share. Even simple things like one of my
best-friend's birthday passed during lent and I didn't get to give her a shout out - I still called her and we virtually partied - but a sm shout out is just another way to show how much a love her.
Take away: I want to be connected and the way our society does that most is through sm. Seeing what fun thing my friends are up too, what funny tiktok they think I would like -> it is all part of the relationship.
4) Media is my life
I honestly did not really think through going off social media in regards to the fact that I am part of both a sketch comedy group and production company and network marketing company that all THRIVE by social media. That is how McG shares their content and WAF just launched a new project and I have not been able to do any promotion and my Arbonne business is mostly shared through sharing my lifestyle on sm. Not having access to share this way was rough.
Take away: Social Media is a tool.
5) What is the world up to
I did not realize how much world news or pop culture news I got from social media. Whether it was friends posting about current events, twitter pushing articles, or celebs dropping albums - I missed it. I had to wait for my sister to tell me Taylor Swift dropped a new song early - and my boyfriend's sister told me about Olivia Rodrigo's "Deja vu". If you don't search for it you won't see it. It was refreshing to not constantly be bombarded with covid facts or shut down news or political drama but at the same time I need to know what is going on.
Take away: Social Media is not just about how many likes you get or which filter to use - it is also about what is happening in the world around us.
*I use sm as a jumping off point not the full source of my information
6) Other things to do instead
Not being on social media gave me more time for other things. I opened my kindle app instead of tiktok and actually read a few books. I watched fun tv shows and made more phone calls to friends and family. It was easier to open my Bible app and read the assigned reading for the day and not be distracted by the tiktoks I could be watching instead.
Take away: You have time for what you make time for.
Social Media is a complicated beast. It can be used as a weapon and a tool and I think it needs to be used in moderation, balance, and responsibility. So yes I am going to go watch all the tiktoks my friends sent me while I wasn't on the app (116 total) and I am going to post this week on instagram and facebook about my birthday. But I will be more conscious of what I am doing. I am not downloading the apps to my home pages on my phone and I am going to continue reading my Bible and books and asking my friends personally how they are and what they are up to.
Happy Easter. Happy April. SM Responsibly.
~Be you
Rachel
Comments