How is it going?

Someone asked me the other day how I was doing without social media.  At first I laughed, I guess knowing she read that bookworm and the fact that she was interested in how I was adjusting surprised me.  Or maybe she wondered if I could really do it, maybe she thought I was addicted.    

There are huge addictive behaviors that are a natural part of social media, good grief, let’s face it, cellphones are the beginning of that addiction.  How do we live without social media, more like, how do live without our phones?

I am currently reading a book that Kate recommended, “The Bright Side of Going Dark” by Kelly Harms. The 2 main characters are both involved with the social media world, one is an influencer and the other actually works at the company that made the first famous.  If you don’t know what an influencer is, good for you.  Simply put, an influencer is someone that influences, but the following definition is more accurate for what we are talking about. “A person with the ability to influence potential buyers of a product or service by promoting or recommending the items on social media.”  It is a gross concept and I am appalled that this is even a thing.  It seems like a flashback of Junior High, when certain kids controlled what was cool to wear and a look or comment from them could ruin your day or even your whole year.

I am only at the halfway point of the book, but I wanted to share my current favorite parts.  Mia leaves her phone at the top of a mountain, she goes back to get it.  No big deal, right?  Well, she kind of loses it on the way up to get it.  She leaves the people walking with her and catches herself running to recover her phone.  I was worried that I would have to stop reading at this point, her desperation made me anxious and sick.  Well, thankfully she felt the same way that I did; she chucks the phone off the mountain.  This leads to my second favorite moment, when she asks her mother what she did before phones and the internet.  

At first I wrote a list of how I use my phone now compared to my life before I had one.  I just deleted it, I would rather you take that moment for yourself.  Stop reading for a minute and think about your now versus your before.  I’ll wait. 

Mia’s mom, shares suggestions to help her daughter experience the world she has never known.  “Read a book even if it’s not what you would prefer, just to see what another genre is like…Write things down, with a nice pen, on scrap paper, and stuff the bits of ideas in your pockets so you’ll meet them again at the end of the day.” I love both those things!  Reading, duh! Writing things on paper, yep, but that nice pen is the really important part. The way a good pen slides across paper is truly satisfying.

So back to the question asked. How am I doing? I think I am doing pretty good.  Is leaving social media hard?  Yes.  Sometimes I can feel alone and that is just stupid and sad.  So, yes, I was addicted to social media.  I am feeling less anxious and the alone time is oddly healing, I am rediscovering who I really am.  Waiting for the likes and comments on Facebook, was like wanting the junior high mean girl to notice my new jeans and not make fun of them.  Appalling, right?  I don’t think I will chuck my phone off a mountain, but I might find ways to live like I did before I had it. 

Apps deleted, step one, phone restrictions, step two. 

Upcoming Events: 11/04 Story Time in the community room at 10am, 11/04 Book Club at 6:30pm