What I learnt while being offline
I was able to think more clearly about things, as my mind wasn’t haphazardly skipping from idea to idea: oh no, must reply to this email that’s been sitting in my inbox for a while, and ahhh I need to reply to this text; to 'hmm what status shall I create to entertain the masses'. It was a refreshing step back from the influx of social media, and pressures felt by society.
I think in general I will change my relationship with the way I interact with social media websites like facebook. Instead of treating it like a life support machine, I will use it for its original purpose: to connect with people I wouldn’t normally be able to. And it’s been rather refreshing to do so – as there is so much more meaning in logging onto facebook for that purpose, rather than spending hours going through profiles, only to end up at a random profile belonging to a girlfriend of the previous person’s page, envying the life stage they’re in. Comparison is futile, a waste of time, and pretty damned detrimental.
I realised that I missed tumblr the most because it is a great emotional outlet for me. It’s a creative platform for expression of one’s innermost feelings without judgement. A place you can return to time and time again, and feel understood to a level much deeper than other social media site permits.
A final thing I realised while being offline and being in the midst of changing my relationship with social websites was that I have less of a desire to gain people’s approval when I’m not constantly reading their status updates. I do somewhat feel a bit more disconnected from friends, but I have also gained much more in the way of valuing my own achievements, and learning to enjoy solitary pursuits without having to share them on the internet.
