Reflection #2 : Social Media Withdraw

 

                Without having experienced a complete social media withdraw I think I would have to say I don’t think it would really affect my daily routine. I’m pretty low key when it comes to social media to begin with (I forget I have it half the time!) so a complete unplugging would probably wouldn’t be that much different than what I do now.

Now that I’ve spent a few days “unplugged” it was a little harder than I imagined. I think the hardest thing about it was feeling out of the loop, especially when friends would ask me if I was going to such-and-such event and I had no idea what they were talking about because it was a Facebook only invite. But overall it wasn’t too bad—I found I had a lot less stress when I wasn’t worrying about Facebook updates or racing to get on Twitter between classes. So in the process I learned that social media tends to create a lot more stress in my life than anything. Sitting quietly 5 minutes before class starts is a lot more calming than frantically checking my Facebook page.

I think a good compromise between social media and the social world is to disconnect them somewhat from one another. Mainly I think when you’re out and about in the social world you should try putting social media to the side and instead focus on making genuine connections with the people around you. Basically I would suggest using social media only when it doesn’t infringe on your interaction with the social world. So don’t be checking your Twitter newsfeed when you’re meeting your best friend for coffee!

I really enjoyed “unplugging” for a few days! I definitely think it’s going to be something I start incorporating into my everyday life.