I have been an active daily Facebook user for 10 years. I use it not only for personal pleasure but for work purposes as well (mostly to support my clients with Web Marketing Therapy on social media).
I found myself checking Facebook all day from both my iPhone and laptop – I felt like I was becoming addicted to it.
Living a web-based business life is wonderful, but there are challenges (like having too much media time). In the name of healthy work and personal life, I decided to take a break.
And at first, it was really weird.
The first few days I found myself going to Facebook.com from my laptop, subconsciously expecting to see a newsfeed. Surprise! Nothing there! This was a reflection of how addicted I was to Facebook!
Then the worry set in – and FOMO (fear of missing out). What happens if I miss something important on social media?
Now that I’m back I realized I didn’t miss anything on social media. No pregnancy news – no deaths – no exciting photos – nothing. AND, if something was really important, my friends would call me.
Not being on Facebook made me realized I don’t really need Facebook. I thought I needed Facebook to stay in touch with others, but turns out I didn’t. The people who are part of my intimate circle, I actually stayed in contact with throughout my social media detox. I noticed I felt more connected to my intimate group of gals and I was more focused when I was interacting with them. I called friends more often and my friends reached out more often. Our conversations were more interesting since we weren’t seeing each other’s social media, we actually had updates to share! I realized Facebook was a waste of time for me.
I learned that I really love my life without social media! Social media to me is a way of numbing myself. I just scrolled and scrolled, wasting precious time. That’s not a life I want to live.
Yes, I am back on social media. But I am definitely more mindful of how long I spend there. 🙂
Have you ever taken a break from social media? Do you feel you’re addicted to social media?