Social media ate my life

May 30, 2013

explainedOh, I know some of you are not going to like this.

But I think there’s a group of people who agree with me. They are hiding in the closet, and this post is for them.

I am on social media overload.  I am saturated with it, and I don’t even do as much as a lot of people, who seem to live on Facebook and other social media sites.

Don’t get me wrong. The internet and social media have brought me some of my most fun friends. I wouldn’t have missed that part of it for the world. My two closest guy friends go back to the earliest days of AOL chat rooms. One of the women on our NY trip I met on an entertainment blog. I’ve got a brand new, way-fun  friend I met through Facebook–more than one.

But. Social media can be such a time suck.

Who has time to really watch their Twitter feed? Not I. I still don’t get why people love Twitter.

Who has time to read even more than a couple of the many blog links posted in the groups I frequent? Not I. I’d love to–I just don’t have that much time in my day. And I’m semi-retired!

Who has time to comment extensively on a Linked In discussion? I’ve done it, but geez, all discussions are time consuming to follow.

Who can keep up with the various ways the businesses we “like” communicate with us?

8a6f156231490e1dffb9f50e264b7c7eIf we did everything we COULD do we’d run out of time before we were done.

I marvel at how so many seem to be on social media all of the time. When do they raise their kids? Make money? Run errands? Hell, when do they have sex? Does anyone but me (and my reading group) read books any more? What happened to a leisurely hour with a magazine? A walk? Playing with the dog? Must we be busy every single minute of every single day? Do they even sleep? (Don’t answer that, midlife women!)

And is there anything as irritating as being out with someone who is so busy texting, posting on social media or emailing–consumed with what’s happening in the ether that he or she is not with you in the moment? More involved in what’s happening elsewhere than with the here and now? I absolutely hate that.  “Be Here Now” is an affirming lifestyle, not a piece of philosophy we think sounds good but can’t put into practice.

So, I’ve begun to reclaim my life and my time. After all, I have a book to write.

I no longer feel guilty when I limit my time on the Internet. When I don’t keep up with my social media groups.  When I don’t post my blog 20 times a day somewhere.

Here’s why:

death-bedI just don’t think this happens, do you?

It’s time to re-look at our priorities, that’s what I think. And put social media in the proper perspective.

If you’re with someone who’s busy with their online life while in your company, just say it: “Be here now! We’re hanging out, we’re playing, talk to ME, not your social media group!”

And put your own smart phone away.

If you’re at a fun dinner, enjoy the people there, instead of posting instant photos of the wine, the meal, the people. This is case where “checking in” is really “checking out.”

Yeah, friends of mine, get ready. I’m going to be insufferable about this.

11 comments on “Social media ate my life
  1. Sara Brady says:

    AMEN! (And I said that in fewer than 140 characters!)

  2. Laura Kennedy says:

    AGREE.

  3. I am frantically trying to figure out how to answer you via ALL my SM accounts at once!!!

  4. Ginger Kay says:

    I’m with you. I am not mobile with social media, nor do I want to be. I’m online a lot at home, so I leave tabs open. I probably shouldn’t, because it is a big time suck.

  5. Amy Morgan says:

    This is so incredibly timely – I have started to back away and I don’t even do HALF the social media items you list. So wonderful – I will be re-posting this on my page (with the direct link to here of course.) Thanks for speaking out!

  6. My definition of “Social Media”: Everybody’s talking, nobody’s listening!

  7. ElaineLK says:

    Carol, I love this, and I so agree with you! Whatever happened to all the things people used to do before the Internet? I am one who READS BOOKS, and that is far more of a priority for me than doing social media. I do Facebook and I blog. That’s it. I’m on LinkedIn but I don’t know how to use it, so I don’t bother. I signed up on Goodreads but can’t be bothered taking the time to learn how to use that, either. My life is quite full without all those things. Yes, I’ve met some great people online and I’m glad for that, but I really value spending time with my face-to-face friends and my husband without being interrupted every two seconds by a phone call or text. I don’t even own a smart phone. Whew. Now that that’s off my chest, I’m going to get off the computer and read!

  8. I am obviously in the minority (again) on this one. Twitter has been good for my book sales. As a matter of fact, it went to #1 on June 21, 2012 because of the folks there (plus a few from FB).

    I am probably one of those people who spend way too much time on social media but I do have engaging followers on the sites I actively participate in. (Except Google Plus). People are talking to each other on my sites and I LOVE IT!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Follow Carol

Welcome!

Here you’ll find my blog, some of my essays, published writing, and my solo performances. There’s also a link to my Etsy shop for healing and grief tools offered through A Healing Spirit.

 

I love comments, so if something resonates with you in any way, don’t hesitate to leave a comment on my blog. Thank you for stopping by–oh, and why not subscribe so you don’t miss a single post?

Archives

Subscribe to my Blog

Receive notifications of my new blog posts directly to your email.