It may strike you as odd that someone who is a self-professed tech nerd (or maybe just a nerd, generally) and early adopter wants to push back from the social media buffet. For quite some time, I’ve wondered if I suffer from an undiagnosed case of ADD, because I am easily, and frequently, distracted. The exponential speed at which the digital medium is growing , has thus become the grandest of distractions. To take this a step further–social media is the ultimate challenge to a person easily drawn in (I don’t want to keep repeating the word ‘distracted’) by various forms of media. Facebook…Twitter…Google Buzz…LinkedIn. You name it. I’ve tried it. I have been incredibly active on the first three.
Active sounds so nice and harmless. However, what I discovered is that being ‘active’ really translated into near-obsessive participation. At any time during the day, I felt somehow compelled to check in on one, or all, of these social media outlets. I used different sites for different things. Facebook was for keeping up with family and friends. Twitter was for tracking photographers and technologists. Google Buzz was, well, something of a Twitter extension. It was a place where I could engage in dialogue, often with people I’ve never met, about technology. Each site had it’s own lure for my attention.
I tried using some programs or websites that can, in some form, aggregate the information feeds from each site; but having all the information in one place was no less distracting or time consuming. Now, I don’t want to suggest by saying distractions that the information being shared by friends and “follower” on these sites was not worth my time or attention. My issue really is that it’s just too much information. I couldn’t believe that I was reaching a point of information overload.
After finally acknowledging that even my insatiable curiosity has become over-saturated with information, the question then turned to: “Just what do I do about it?” I didn’t really consult with many friends about this, because, frankly, none of my friends really heavily engaged in social media. Well, at least not to the extent that I am. Instead, I searched online for perspectives on the issue. The result of my search turned up a lot of articles and blog pieces about quitting a particular site–namely Facebook. My thing, though, is that I’m not quite sure I want to quit the sites, I just need some help gaining control with the, seemingly obsessive, need to put my eyeballs on these sites. As some of my friends will tell you, I tend to be an all-or-nothing person. I’m either all in or I’m all out. I am trying to change this rather rigid posture (across the board) and practice moderation. This social media bug, however, just may need my “I’m out!” approach. Fortunately, after digging around for a while, I came across a very well-articulated piece by Edan Lupucki on The Millions. Click on the title below to read the article.
Ceasing to Exist: Three Months in the Social Media Detox Ward
I had an Aha! moment when I read the article. Or, perhaps I just appreciated that I was not alone with this issue. Whatever the reason, as I read through the article, the idea of a going on a social media detox really began to resonate with me. This could be a happy place between my normal, “Ahh…the Hell with it!” approach, which doesn’t always stick, and not doing anything to address what I feel is be a problem.
So there it is. I’m going on a social media diet, if you will. Actually, I’m also starting back with Atkins at the same time, so I’m doing a lot of consumption reduction right now. I intend to sign off of Facebook, Twitter and Google Buzz for three months. (I don’t really use LinkedIn in a social way, so that’s a non-issue.) It will be an interesting to see just what I learn about myself. I suspect the issues have far less to do with social media, and much more about how my mind works. I’ll post an update at the end of the year to share my experience.
Interestingly, as I was gathering my thoughts for this post, a link to this following short video on TED popped up in my inbox.
The timing of this video is/was rather eerie, but probably serves as a good reminder that I should go about doing whatever I plan to do quietly instead of making pronouncements about my goal(s).
Matthew -
Good luck with all of this, and I will be very interested to see your results. I don’t know the right answer, but it is a continuous question for me about how to tame my inner-kindergartener from frantically trying to consume too much information in a non-effective way.
Currently, what is working best for me is Pomodoro time management (time in 25 minute periods of focus), the Streaks app (which becomes motivating when you want to keep a streak of positive behavior unbroken), and Remember the Milk (to keep both a nag as to what I want/need to do, and a way to organize it all by lists and priorities).
Of course, I may find a way to evade these too. I was successfully using LeechBlock on Firefox for quite a while, to prevent me from going to Facebook, Twitter, the NY Times, etc. too often — but of course I eventually evaded it by using Chrome when I wanted to be unrestricted.
Best luck with your quest!
Thanks Victoria.
I don’t know if you do it naturally, but I tend to work best in 20–25 minute spurts. In between, I would take a few minutes to scan Facebook, Twitter or Google Buzz. The problem was detaching from the social media to start another 20–25 minute spurt. The same applied at home. Having a laptop and WiFi didn’t help things either. I was spending way too much time piddling online. It’s necessarily a bad thing because I was always reading about something, but I started to feel dependent on it. I needed that info hit.
I’ve heard about Milk. Remember what I need to do has never really been a problem. It’s just detaching and getting it done. I pretty much use Chrome all the time, but I may look into LeechBlock for myself and my son. There’s actually a pretty cool tool for students that blocks Internet access to non-academic sites during certain hours.
I’ll keep you posted on how things go. Thanks for the encouragement.
I applaud you, Matthew. And yet, I must confess my disappointment. It’s selfish, I know. But I felt closer and connected to you via facebook. Not sure what this says about me. Let’s hope I don’t start texting you nonstop. I have a personal mission to keep the art of letter writing alive, so don’t be surprised if you hear from me old school style. May you discover new and wonderful things about yourself and your world. Also, send all unwanted carbs my way.
Hey Steven. You are one of the people I thought of when I mentioned wanting to talk or email more often instead of occasional posts on Facebook. I do appreciate the connection Facebook brings, but I think the challenge, for me, is to maintain those connections through more conventional means.
I like the idea of letter writing. I’ll keep my eyes peeled. Who doesn’t like getting mail? I will definitely return in kind.
As for the carbs, I’ll be glad to see them your way. I’m sure you’d like some in the form of Carla’s cookies.
Matthew, I applaud you as well. I don’t know if your hiatus also means your blog (I hope not). But I feel you. It sounds weird coming from Queen Social Media over here, but I’ve toyed with it as well. I keep it going mostly for business purposes. We’re a little too connected in this society. I figured I had a problem when I couldn’t find my Blackberry and freaked out even though I also have a cell phone. Every now and then I want to shut it all off and get back to basics. But I’ve built my brand using social media so I can’t totally disconnect. So I have to learn how to manage it better.
I hear you Adrienne. I think social media is a great tool for business, and a lot of people/companies don’t really take advantage of the available tools. (Nice piece in Black Enterprise, by the way.) For me, however, social media is great for real-time updates on a host of topics, but I found that it became too distracting during the work day, and a violet-colored bug light in the evening. I need(ed) a break. Here’s a blog piece that digs into the topic of digital sabbaticals — http://www.threenewleaves.com/logging-off-the-digital-sabbatical/With that said, I think the need to be active on social media is much different for you, Carla, and others who run businesses or have a public following. The key is to manage your time and let those who follow you know what to expect, in terms of content and expectations for replies.
Good for you, Matthew!
On a selfish note, I will miss your Facebook and Twitter posts, they were informative, thought provoking and often, just plain old funny. More than that, I’m losing my KIT link to you.
No more text notifications, the onus is now on me to KIT!
Hi Chamene! Thanks for you kind words. I hope you’re doing well! I consider the onus just as much on me to keep in touch with people without social media. Shoot your contact info to me at mdl@matthewdlyons.com and I’ll reply with my/our info.
I am 2 months late to this party but was thinking about you and was surprised to see you gone. I’ve been on a self-imposed break as well though I’d still post a few pics of my son on FB or check Twitter now and then. Felt good to be off but feels good to dip your toes in now and then as well.
Glad to see things are going well — I’ll add the feed to my reader to keep up
robert
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