This question has been going through my mind the last week, and I’ve been taking some time to sleep on it. Am I taking a social media holiday? For now, I’m not but it might not be a bad idea in the future. I am going to keep my Instagram and Facebook open so I can share my blog posts and any pictures I take, as well as follow my Toastmasters0 district and any news and notes from District 13.
I’m doing this as kind of an experiment and also as a way of improving my mental health. I’m not dropping off entirely as I still need this platform to share my content. I’ll be checking in but it will be limited to about a half an hour a day. Social media is great but it is a huge time waster if you’re not careful.
Here’s a six pack of facts about my history with Social Media.
- I’ve been on Facebook since 2005. It’s a link to my college years as I joined when I was still at Slippery Rock University.
- While some may feel that I am a social media junkie, I don’t use all platforms nor I am a fan of some of them. I am not a Twitter user (I’ve never stayed consistent with it). I tried SnapChat for a while but interest quickly waned. I downloaded Tiktok but it couldn’t keep me entertained as I could find some of the same reels on Instagram.
- For years, I posted weather updates on my Facebook page. It gained popularity among my other Facebook friends.
- Be careful what you post on your status update. I bashed a former place of employment on Facebook and it nearly cost me my job. I would be leaving there soon anyway but, who knows, that could have had an effect on whomever hired me.
- Social media is not a place to spread your political views if you don’t have a thick skin. For this thin-skinned individual who easily gets offended, it almost led to a meltdown multiple times. I’m better now but I abstain from posting anything political.
- I took to social media to follow and support small businesses in my hometown when they needed it most. Like in 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown. I still give my support and encourage people to shop small, but no time was more important than during the pandemic. Truth be told though, it’s always important to support your local everything no matter how good or bad things are in the world.
What would a benefit of leaving social media be?
It would spark a substantial improvement in my well-being. Nothing has drained my mental health more than reading pointless Facebook posts and watching videos that don’t carry much value or merit to me. It’s a habit but I know I can find better things to do with my time. I already have with reading, writing (as I’m doing with this blog), and playing Switch. Don’t forget taking time to get outside.
What would be a detriment of leaving social media?
As I mentioned earlier, it would be one less vehicle to promote my blog with. I share the link to my blog posts on Facebook and Instagram for those who follow me. Maybe I can reach out to my cousin on what to do if I decide to go down that route of eventually disconnecting Facebook for good. Also, another detriment would be not learning about fun events coming up in the Fall and Winter months. Social media is good for promoting those. There is good and bad to being active on Facebook and Instagram.
Why else would I want to consider taking a holiday from Facebook or Instagram?
Technology is an asset but there’s also a liability to having it in your life. One such liability is less time to get outside and enjoy life when the weather is nice as well as less family time. I feel like the answers that I came up with have already been explained in greater detail (mental health, more free time).
In closing, I’m not leaving the platforms for good but I am going to control how much I use them. I already have made some changes but I know that I can still do better.
Stylish 🍒 