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?
Digital Marketer
Katherine’s curiosity for the wild world web sparked while taking a marketing course on Lynda.com. While watching Lynda.com video courses on marketing, she stumbled onto Lorrie Thomas Ross’s online marketing courses. After watching all her courses, she cold emailed Web Marketing Therapy asking to work there AND she’s been working with these Wild Web Women® ever since. Read More