Detox implies exposure to harmful substances. I'd say that's pretty accurate, considering the over saturation of social media noise in this day and age. There's no better time than now to reflect and process. Which is why I've mentally prepared for this 'digital detox' since the outcome of the 2016 US Presidential election.
My detox includes deactivating my Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, and hiding my LinkedIn account, along with deleting all of these apps from my phone. These are all social apps that I use on a daily basis. Pinterest doesn't count since it's more personal to me. Plus, It's my job.
disconnected from fb friends, followers, connections
While purging my accounts, I decide to google search any other accounts that made sense to deactivate. Among them were my bandcamp, couchsurfing, marmiton, and could not, for the life of me, figure out how to delete an archaic purevolume account. Amazing how our online footprint gets carbonized into the cloud, if we let it or neglect it.
First week of detox –
These are all my interactions with people where social media has come up during a conversation, a thought process, or a part of my day.
- Friend messaged me after failed attempts to invite me to a holiday party via FB event. Their reaction when I mentioned I deactivated my account, "Is everything okay?"
- Store clerk at a dope art/retail venue says to check their insta/FB for updates
- Coworker linked me to an event. Get taken to a private FB event link
- Roommate screenshots funny memes she sees on Twitter
- Read New Yorker article, called 'Silicon Valley Empathy Vacuum' and wanted to post it on a friend's wall to get an online dialogue going
- Wanted to crowdsource for people with Donors' Choose accounts
- Had to ask friend that was traveling to text me photos, because I couldn't stalk her Snapchat
- Friend wanted to tag me in an article about Salt and Straw opening in SF
- Sister tells me to check out FB marketplace
- Partner asks for opinions I might find on my newsfeed about the appointment of Gen. Mattis as Secretary of Defense
- Couldn't remember the name of a friend from college, wanted to scroll through FB albums to find tagged photos
- Wanted to show photos to coworkers of who I was taking as my +1 to holiday party
- Friend pings, "Are you not on Snapchat anymore?"
- Friend asks, "What about our college photos?!"
- Sister says she misses getting likes
- Wanted to look at friend's instagram feed for photography inspiration
- Wanted to watch last year's Winter Techpella live stream on Deke Sharon's page
- Needed to copy text from FB notes and Medium entries into blog
- Typed in "f + enter" on URL bar. Got taken to FB landing page.
- Usually found great articles on Twitter/FB feed. Coworker recommends to download Feedly.
— evelyn, coping from social media withdrawals
>> read part two (last week of detox)