On 18 February 2015 (not for Lent, but coincidentally so), I started my social media fast. I decided to take a break from the distraction, the unquenchable inquisitiveness, the easily accessible bragging platform and the inevitable comparison. All of which I am guilty of. Like I said, it was quite coincidental that it tied in with a period in the calendar where people participate in a season "of fasting, moderation and self-denial."
Initially, I found it strange to not log on concurrently with my email programme and news source site first thing in the morning - since my fingers can do that even if my brain is not yet awake - and at times I listened longingly as people shared what had been posted or commented on since I had been gone.
But in the end, I could tell that this was a good and necessary break from what is quite rapidly defining us - social media activity. In fact, I could recommend it and should probably encourage you to do it more often than just once a year.
A ladies lifestyle site has listed 7 reasonable reasons for taking a break from social media - and I'm beginning to feel this way about the internet in some general cases.
1. It's a time waster
2. It gets annoying
3. It's harmful to your self-esteem
4. Privacy concerns
5. It fosters superficial relationships
6. It can neglect relationships
7. It can cause drama
Don't misunderstand - I'm not discounting the absolute awesomeness of being in contact with loved ones based thousands of km's away...or the marvelous convenience of making payments and doing grocery shopping without having to stand in a queue - I wish for more of that to be world-wide-web-ified in fact! The information that's out there is thrilling in both a sensational and scary way.
Perhaps I'm trying to have my cake and eat it too? Maybe I'm just not as good as managing my internet time as well as the rest of them. But if my slight addiction to technology is anything to go by, then this must be the way they're training my (and younger) mind(s) these days and all I'm saying is: turn it off now and then. There's a whole world out there that can function without battery power, gossip or an ADSL line. And the people do just fine.
Initially, I found it strange to not log on concurrently with my email programme and news source site first thing in the morning - since my fingers can do that even if my brain is not yet awake - and at times I listened longingly as people shared what had been posted or commented on since I had been gone.
But in the end, I could tell that this was a good and necessary break from what is quite rapidly defining us - social media activity. In fact, I could recommend it and should probably encourage you to do it more often than just once a year.
A ladies lifestyle site has listed 7 reasonable reasons for taking a break from social media - and I'm beginning to feel this way about the internet in some general cases.
1. It's a time waster
2. It gets annoying
3. It's harmful to your self-esteem
4. Privacy concerns
5. It fosters superficial relationships
6. It can neglect relationships
7. It can cause drama
Don't misunderstand - I'm not discounting the absolute awesomeness of being in contact with loved ones based thousands of km's away...or the marvelous convenience of making payments and doing grocery shopping without having to stand in a queue - I wish for more of that to be world-wide-web-ified in fact! The information that's out there is thrilling in both a sensational and scary way.
Perhaps I'm trying to have my cake and eat it too? Maybe I'm just not as good as managing my internet time as well as the rest of them. But if my slight addiction to technology is anything to go by, then this must be the way they're training my (and younger) mind(s) these days and all I'm saying is: turn it off now and then. There's a whole world out there that can function without battery power, gossip or an ADSL line. And the people do just fine.
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