Hello again readers & random folks that found this by accident. Last month I had decided to go on a social network fasting (Or as I titled it the #Unplugging.) So that meant for a whole month no Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I had decided that I wanted to check out mentally from the thoughts of the internet. During that month it was quite interesting, so I will share with what I learned.
The first thing you will notice is the quiet. Especially if you have a smartphone linked to your social network account. It can take some getting used to cause you have become so accustomed to talking via IM or hash-tagging a post. After a while the quiet can become soothing, especially when it comes to times of creation. If you love to just have time to think, this was definitely the right thing to do for me. I had thoughts about family, friends, career paths, & spiritual enlightenment. I was quite tempted to write & publish but that was only for the followers of this blog (Big shoutout to you folks!!) When you get used to the quiet, when I got back on Facebook it felt real "loud". You could compare the Facebook activity wall to having the ability to read minds, but you can't shut it off. So imagine being Prof. Charles Xavier but yet you can't shut off the voices in your head. I learned how to moderate what I read & what I don't on Facebook & Twitter.
Another thing was that folks are too dependent upon Facebook to keep in contact with loved ones. Folks thought I was going on a total fast in which I wasn't going to answer e-mail or my cell phone. "C'Mon Son!!" That would be crazy, I still had to post music & just connect with long distance family. Just cause I'm "off-grid" doesn't mean I'm anti-social, just anti-social network. If you have someone's # give them a call instead of texting or sending an IM message. It's time to get back to being personal again. Facebook is what I call "personally impersonal." You can tailor it to your specifications but yet it's only a shadow of who you really are. It's crazy to think that some totally communicate this way. I'm kinda glad the friends I do have were made in real time & not digitally. It seems like folks forget you if you don't post at least once a week. When I got back on folks were like "Oh shit what up?" For some of my friends you they have my # yet didn't reach out for whatever reasons. Talk to me directly, it's okay.
So what was learned during the "#Unplugging" first that being social isn't just Facebook or Twitter posts. It's being personal with your friends & family. Maintaining those relationships without the need of a computer or application. Reaching out & reconnecting with family & friends on a old school level. Go hang out with them, visit them at their job or shit just go out & have a drink together. I'm glad the people closest to me stayed in contact. I got to visit New Orleans again and share my experience with folks. It was good to not be connected. I think we can all use a bit less digital life in our daily lives. It's alright to get out of the matrix and stretch our legs. Stay connected, not just digitally.
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