Show us the way out. I can't help but notice it's the Enneagram 5s who are actually the ones to successfully get off of stay off of these soul-sucking websites. Every time I see folks like you and Seth commit to this leaving and be better off for it, I am hopeful that maybe--just maybe--I'll be brave and bold enough to do the same one of these days. That is, if my soul is still in tact.
Hard to say what the way out is, except to just jump! I’ll let you know how the water is once I swim for a while.
After spending a couple of years researching & reading about what socials are doing to us individually & collectively, the cost/benefit analysis seemed obvious to me, because I saw myself reflected so clearly in the research. It was like looking into a mirror — the lost focus, inability to pay attention, irritability, the urgency to scroll, my inability to stop, the impulse to check, the weird satisfaction when getting the supposed affirmation of a like or a share… it was all there.
I’ve tried every app and tool imaginable to try to limit my time, to help me build habits, and none of it stuck. The only way out for me is ALL the way out. It’s not the path for everyone, but it has to be for me.
What an adventure! Thank you for sharing. I wish you the best and look forward to following your experience. Photography interests keep interested in FB, but Instagram's new algorithm is not a friendly place for photographers. Twitter is more of a cesspool than ever.
Wow, love hearing about this new endeavour. I'm squarely in the Erik camp. I have to be on social media for my job, but I can't wait to see where it leads you!
The work thing is real! I wish there was another way around it for folks who need to step away. It's just so interwoven into the fabric of our society at this point, it's hard to find an alternative with the same sort of ROI for businesses.
Wow! This is fantastic! I’ve done social media fasts, 3.5 mos being my longest stent, but a year?!?! This is RAD and very inspirational. My brain is already turning over the thought of following suit!!!
I’ve done about 3 months at my longest, and i only quit Instagram, not the others. And right when I was finally settling into a new rhythm & way of thinking, I got sucked back in. I think a year is about right for me for a fully immersed experience.
This is a big step and am curious to hear how it goes for you in the next year. Aug. 2021 I quit social media (Facebook and Instagram were my main hits), while also living in a super remote part of Colorado (my closest Whole Foods is 90 minutes roundtrip). If you've ever tried mindfulness meditation and felt that "monkey" jumping around in your head while trying to focus on your breath, giving up social media is a lot like that. You never know how many monkeys dance around your face all day long until you uninstall those apps from your phone. Then, in my experience, things get real, real quiet. And soon you may start talking to trees just to give your thoughts something to bounce off of. And if you're extra lucky the trees will start talking back. ;-) In all seriousness: giving up social media made my real life friendships so, so much richer while also pointing out the friendships that were just imaginary. I signed up for your newsletter today. Cheering you on from the Colorado mountains...
Show us the way out. I can't help but notice it's the Enneagram 5s who are actually the ones to successfully get off of stay off of these soul-sucking websites. Every time I see folks like you and Seth commit to this leaving and be better off for it, I am hopeful that maybe--just maybe--I'll be brave and bold enough to do the same one of these days. That is, if my soul is still in tact.
Hard to say what the way out is, except to just jump! I’ll let you know how the water is once I swim for a while.
After spending a couple of years researching & reading about what socials are doing to us individually & collectively, the cost/benefit analysis seemed obvious to me, because I saw myself reflected so clearly in the research. It was like looking into a mirror — the lost focus, inability to pay attention, irritability, the urgency to scroll, my inability to stop, the impulse to check, the weird satisfaction when getting the supposed affirmation of a like or a share… it was all there.
I’ve tried every app and tool imaginable to try to limit my time, to help me build habits, and none of it stuck. The only way out for me is ALL the way out. It’s not the path for everyone, but it has to be for me.
What an adventure! Thank you for sharing. I wish you the best and look forward to following your experience. Photography interests keep interested in FB, but Instagram's new algorithm is not a friendly place for photographers. Twitter is more of a cesspool than ever.
Twitter is ROUGH. Especially lately!
Wow, love hearing about this new endeavour. I'm squarely in the Erik camp. I have to be on social media for my job, but I can't wait to see where it leads you!
The work thing is real! I wish there was another way around it for folks who need to step away. It's just so interwoven into the fabric of our society at this point, it's hard to find an alternative with the same sort of ROI for businesses.
I'm excited to see where it leads me, too!
Wow! This is fantastic! I’ve done social media fasts, 3.5 mos being my longest stent, but a year?!?! This is RAD and very inspirational. My brain is already turning over the thought of following suit!!!
I’ve done about 3 months at my longest, and i only quit Instagram, not the others. And right when I was finally settling into a new rhythm & way of thinking, I got sucked back in. I think a year is about right for me for a fully immersed experience.
This is a big step and am curious to hear how it goes for you in the next year. Aug. 2021 I quit social media (Facebook and Instagram were my main hits), while also living in a super remote part of Colorado (my closest Whole Foods is 90 minutes roundtrip). If you've ever tried mindfulness meditation and felt that "monkey" jumping around in your head while trying to focus on your breath, giving up social media is a lot like that. You never know how many monkeys dance around your face all day long until you uninstall those apps from your phone. Then, in my experience, things get real, real quiet. And soon you may start talking to trees just to give your thoughts something to bounce off of. And if you're extra lucky the trees will start talking back. ;-) In all seriousness: giving up social media made my real life friendships so, so much richer while also pointing out the friendships that were just imaginary. I signed up for your newsletter today. Cheering you on from the Colorado mountains...