My Social Media Fast Begins Today

+++ title = “03” date = 2019 +++

After reading Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism, I’ve decided to give a social media detox a try. So as of today for the rest of March, I’ll be off Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (other than my work accounts).

I’m keeping Reddit, RSS, and YouTube because they don’t have that addictive quality for me. At least for now. YouTube is a major timesuck but I basically use it as my TV provider so I consider it necessary. But I’ll be blocking it during most of the day using the Freedom app. I may even experiment with giving up Spotify but the alternatives are more expensive or slightly limited.

The idea is that without access to these accounts for a full 30 days, I’ll be able to return to them in a meaningful way in April. And the other nice thing about that is it will be April and the weather will be much nicer.

I will still continue writing and will post a new piece every day automatically to Twitter, I just won’t be able to see it happen, or respond to any replies (which never really happens anyway).

I’ve experimented a bit in February with limiting access to social. Using the Freedom app to block Facebook was successful but I still found myself mindlessly surfing during non-work times. As much I wanted to avoid a full on detox, it appears that’s what’s necessary.

I believe that social media is as bad for us as sugar or nicotine, but that there is one thing that can change the addiction: intention. Every time we log in without an intention of what we want to do (look at our family’s baby pics, collect news stories, etc.) we are essentially gambling. We are pulling the slot machine to see what comes up.

And it’s rarely cherries. You know it. I know it.

Social is a bit like the house in a gambling scenario.

And the house always wins.