I anticipated this week's challenge would be the most difficult after seeing the posted prompts. As someone who frequently peruses social media, I am well-informed. Reflecting on the Twitter challenge from last week, I decided that if badges were incorporated and I felt free, I would make an effort to participate to the fullest extent possible.
Whenever I take a break from social media, I find it difficult to let go of Twitter. However, this time around, it was surprisingly more accessible for me. This week has been filled with many sad news and deaths on social media, so I needed to take some time away. I realized I had more free time to spend with my family, take naps, go for longer runs, and do more things around the house. Does social media take up a lot of my time? Yes, especially since I'm taking this class. I want to interact with my classmates, keep up with various communities I'm a part of, and stay updated on the latest trends. The detox also afforded me time to process all the sadness I've consumed from the various sites. I could discuss some of the feelings with my husband and eldest daughter. She is currently consumed by social media for at least 6 hours daily. So being able to reason with her to let her know that it's not only needed but should be good practice to take some time away from social media. I started reading Prince Harry's Memoir, and I must say, wow! I'm genuinely captivated. It's easy for me to sit here and say taking the time away has afforded me more time in "real life" to do other things and that I want to continue implementing a detox ever so often, but we all know it's not that easy.
I experienced a fear of missing out (FOMO) and constantly felt the desire to say updated on current events. This included wanting to know what Messi's fans were discussing. There was often debate between his fans and Ronaldo's fans on the best football player. Still, Messi won the prestigious football trophy with his Argentinian team, something Ronaldo has yet to accomplish with Portugal. Additionally, I was curious about my friends' activities, such as what my best friend posted to her close friends on Instagram and if my classmates were as active on Twitter as last week. I had many questions but resisted the urge to check social media. I kept myself busy with household tasks to distract myself from the lack of social media activity. This made me wonder if I had a social media addiction.
For those who have completed this challenge, how was it for you? What was the most difficult part? Did you last the entire 48 hours? If not, what was the reason? Share you responses in the comment section.
I definitely didn't stay away for 48hrs. I guess the max I've went offline was 30-ish hours? My friends was texting me and sharing with me the tragedy about the submarine incident and I didn't know that it actually went viral. SO I couldn't stop myself but to go online after 1.5 days of staying away just to be updated on the current news. But yes, during the first half of the detox, I also learnt to prioritize my time better by doing more self-care (such as planning my workout and diet plan) in an effort to improve my well-being. It was tough having not to go online with just a thumb away from the various apps, but I guess it was a good detox to refocus on more important things in life.
ReplyDeleteYes! I actually put my phone on do not disturb (DND) because I have so many apps that gives me updates, such as Twitter, ESPN, Instagram, etc. It took a lot of discipline but I challenged myself to keep pushing through. SN: that submarine story was crazy. The more I gathered information the crazier it got.
ReplyDelete