The Last Day I Used Social Media
September 1st, 2019 — a time without occupancy limitations, social distancing, and widespread disruption. No “stay 6 ft. apart” signs littering the aisles of check-out lines. No non-essential business closures. No widespread disruption affecting our everyday life.
It’s a time in society that seems so drastically different than now. Maybe it’s a year we are all longing to return to. For me, it was a time in my life that I considered things to be quite “normal”.
It was also the last day I used social media.
My decision to take a one-year sabbatical from social media started at a very interesting time. We are talking about pre-2020 here. I wanted to enjoy life without social media for a year. No more incessant scrolling during times of boredom. No more checking news feeds while waiting in the grocery lines. I wanted to live “In The Now”, as the spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle would say.
The first few months were easy. I bought a $30 flip phone on Amazon and used it until it broke in December. Using a flip phone for almost 4 months is worth an entire story on it’s own, so stay tuned.
The Arrival of the Year 2020
Then came the dark storm of the year 2020.
It’s a year that will go down in history as a time of monumental societal change and widespread disruption. Without social media, I became largely disconnected from all it’s noise and it’s distinctive chatter.
“You are so lucky to not be on social media right now!”, said a friend of mine when I told her about my complete social media disconnect. I spoke to many friends about my sabbatical, and they always responded with a sense of wonderment. Every person I spoke to thought it was probably a good thing to not be on social media right now.
So much has changed throughout this year. With change comes new belief systems and the reevaluation of old patterns of thought. This years most talked-about topics were brought to the forefront on social media. Many felt a virtual calling to the platform. It was an inner voice that urged them to voice their opinions to the world. But I was without it. Because of that, I realized one thing:
If our mind is the stage of our beliefs, then social media is the pedestal we stand on, phone in hand, ready to share our electronic voice to the world.
Our human nature compels us to vocalize what we feel is right and condemn what we feel is wrong. Through sharing our personal beliefs and opinions on social media, we appease the side of our humanity that longs to be correct and righteous, while calling out the views we deem false and unjust.
The Return
If I could sum up this entire time without social media in one simple sentence, it would be this — I was happy. Happy that I didn’t see all the chaos and turmoil that was being shared on social media (according to people I talked too). Happy that I got to choose which content I let into my life. Happy that I became more present and mindful. However, the biggest downfall was losing contact with friends I only conversed with through social media.
On the light-side, I do know there were people using social platforms to help humanity throughout 2020, shining as virtual saviors during these trying times. They were the ones choosing to share goodness to the world, technologically injecting a dose of positivity and upliftment into our everyday lives.
I now return to social media as a distant traveler from a pre-2020 era. I come from the other side of the screen. The other side of life without social media. I reemerge with a new perspective and a piece of advice for you all, akin to a cheesy quote found in a fortune cookie,
“The screen was definitely brighter on the other side”.
