What would the world be like without social media?

 

My relationship was on the rocks. I wanted to end it but I didn’t know how. And truthfully, I struggled with pulling the cord.

Television.

My relationship with television was on the rocks. The majority of our entertainment consisted of reality TV and the golf channel, of which I found ridiculous that we were paying $150+ for something that was not helpful to our lives.

Watching women scream at each other made for great TV but I knew it was an absolute leech when it came to my time and my mental energies.

Knowing this and being outraged at the cost still was not enough for me to pull the cord.

I spent months see-sawing back and forth about ditching the entertainment service. MONTHS.

Until one cold day in February. I got myself dressed. I moved the TV, unplugged the entertainment box from the wall, and drove it down to the store where I confidently said, “I don’t want this anymore, please cancel my subscription.”

I drove home free.

That was more than eight years ago.

And we haven’t looked back. Part of the see-sawing was my fear to let it go.

Would I miss it?

Would I regret it?

What would I do with all that time (read: space)?

Back in those days, streaming TV was relatively new, afterall, Netflix was still watched on CDs and sent by mail. When I share with someone that we don’t have cable, they usually ping back, “we don’t either”.

clears throat

“We don’t have any streaming services either.”

crickets

While we do still have a TV that sits on the same TV stand, the only thing connected to it is a DVD player. Nothing fancy that connects to the internet, just a box that plays movies.

In the winter we will watch our Downton Abbey series but in the summer, the TV might come on once a month. We just simply don’t think about it.

So what’s my point?

social media

I saw what TV was doing to me and I didn’t like it. It was taking my time and it was filling me with garbage. That little box of entertainment was expensive.

In more ways than one.

Enter the year 2012, when I returned to the world of social media all in the name of “you must be on it if you have a business - it is the way of the future!”

Without consideration or debate, I replaced one vice for another. All in the name of profit.

And entertainment.

Instead of watching a big black box for my entertainment and news, I began to watch a small black screen that went with me everywhere.

In the car. At redlights. At the dinner table. On the toilet.

The screen offered more than the TV ever could, because this time, I could be an active participant.

Posting photos of my own life and watching with glee as the notifications chimed on.

More, more, more. What can I do to get more notifications?

That’s at the core of all social media strategy playbooks available these days for small businesses, influencers, and the like.

I’ve toyed with the idea of ditching the social media before, but the stronghold it had on my decision was too firm.

Will I miss it?

Will I regret it?

What will I do with my time?

How will I tell people about my[self]?

Ahhhh. The familiar sensation of being back on the see-saw.

Up and down.

Down then up.

It can be used for good!

What if you just set limits to how much you use it?

I love it when the justifications roll in. Personally, I know that is when my attachment is beginning to cease and freedom is just around the corner.

I long for a more simple way of life, as I am severely allergic to complicated.

For all the good that social media can provide, the bad far outweighs it. Or so I’ve decided for myself.

What would my world be like without social media?

Without the noise of the world?

WIthout the complication it creates?

I fondly remember asking myself the same thing about the television.

Here is to finding that cord and pulling the plug. I would like to cancel my subscription.

Love Jennifer.jpg

Two videos that I’ve enjoyed on the topic are below if you are interested.

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