Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Social Media Exile

My name is Glowless, and I'm a social media addict.

On Friday, at 4:35pm to be exact, I did something strange. I decided to voluntarily turn off Facebook and Twitter with the aim to have a social media free weekend. A self imposed exile, until Sunday 8:00pm.

I had no idea if I would be able to do it or not (and no idea why I wanted to try). The odds were against me, especially considering I dropped my phone in a puddle that afternoon so didn't even have access to text messages to distract me. Though it did mean I couldn't cheat, but that's a pretty crap silver lining if you ask me.

I had my own set of rules:
  • No Facebook
  • No Twitter
  • Email was allowed (I was waiting on very important stuff!)
  • I could read blog posts, but only in bed if I couldn't sleep (which is why there is extreme lack of comments on this week's FYBF linky-ers, sorry!)
My first hurdle was within seconds - someone added my name to a Facebook group a few minutes earlier and the email notifications started pouring in every time someone commented or left a message on the wall. That and the endless notifications from everyone making bets on the Where's My Glow? Facebook page on how long I'd last (consensus was one hour).

So I did sorta cheat and went in quickly to turn off notifications... because what's the point in saying I was going to be away from it, if I was aware of everything happening anyway?

From then on, I expected it to be hard. I have TweetDeck open pretty much from the moment I wake up to minute I fall asleep. I'm always checking it - not necessarily tweeting, but just checking out what other people are saying. It's my voyeuristic streak coming out.
    Anyone else annoyed that he says Twitter about it, not Tweet about it?
But being away from it all for a whole weekend? Well I imagined coming away with a sense of peace, a greater understanding of family time, or having some profound insight in to my incessant need to seek instant gratification...

But instead, I slept in, played with Tricky, went for a big walk with my boys (husband, child, dog), had afternoon tea at my parents house, did the dishes, some laundry... you know, just stuff. Nothing important or earth shattering... an honestly nothing that I wouldn't have achieved if I'd not been in exile, it just would have taken me a little bit longer.

It was rather anticlimactic.

My downfall came some time on Sunday afternoon when I was doing some blog work and voted for a website as part of the Ausmumpreneur Awards people's choice award (you should vote for it too!)... I hit the Facebook 'like' button as well as the special voting 'like' button, mainly because I fail at following instructions, and it posted to my personal profile.

Two people commented on it, saying they were impressed I had lasted so long... and I felt jipped. I wanted to jump up and down proclaiming my innocence! I hadn't actually been on Facebook, just clicked a button on a website. I was so obsessed with lasting the whole time that I actually cared that someone thought I had failed. Could I be any more pathetic?

So yes, it was weird to not just jump on Twitter and Facebook and update my minions followers about my every move, but I did it and, shock horror, I might just do it again.

Oh and for the record, the biggest problem was going back on to TweetDeck and finding 1000 @mentions that I wasn't sure if I should still reply to or not.

Are you a social media addict? How long would you last in self imposed exile?

17 comments:

  1. Yeah, I was bummed that I referenced you in a blog, then you exiled yourself just before I posted it. :( Oh well, I think we all feel the need to get away from social media every now and again.

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  2. SOMEONE?  I am SOMEONE?!?!

    *flicks hair over her shoulder and storms off to eat more cream cheese icing*

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  3. PMSL! Yes, you are someone. You know how many people go around wishing they were someone??? xxx

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  4. I had the weekend off too,only catching up now. I feel kinda odd - must be withdraws... *twitch*

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  5. Well done! It's quite funny that I am commenting at this moment on this post because, I confess, I just signed up to Disqus to claim my avatar etc and wanted to see if it worked so came here b/c I know you have Disqus installed. How sad. I came to check out my new SM tool on a post about going into SM exile! Well done my friend, well done!

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  6. Well look at you coming to the dark side of commenting systems :) This will be used against you the next time you give me crap for not being with wordpress hehe

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  7. ha ha! I love that I just got your rely emailed to me! I'll still give you crap for not moving to WP but I will also enjoy the benefits of a Disqus account ;) xx

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  8. I even tweeted about it and encouraged others to sign up. *shh don't tell!*

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  9. I seem to have an all-or-nothing relationship with social media. When I'm on it, I check it every chance I get (depending on the day this varies from several times a day to several times an hour), though lately I've been ditching fb and concentrating on twitter - fb just isn't as relevant or entertaining. But sometimes I go weeks without really even thinking about it - usually when on holidays in the middle of nowhere and with no Internet connection. And it's actually very restful.
    Coming back into the fold and finding people actually want to interact with me is always a bit of a thrill though...

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  10. Wow you did it on your own?! Not that much of an addict yet, you don't need social media anonymous ;)

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  11. I had a break over the weekend too, it felt good. I needed it though, I was avoiding people. Shhh.

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  12. I have Facebook & Twitter free weekends all the time....

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  13. nope. not addicted. could give up whenever I want to. 
    what? no I don't want to. but I could if I did.
    shut up.

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  14. No, not addicted.  Bored, more likely.  If I'm busy I can quite happily do without it and I don't seem to miss much.  Helps being a nobody....

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  15. I also have disqus. feel free to do some testing over at toushkalee.com... #justsayin'

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  16. Addicted? Moi? only to the point of I check twitter and tweet if the lights are red when I am out and about driving....and only if I just "happen" to have the iphone with me ...ahem...when I am "powdering my nose" HUH?? Addicted...never... Gee I HATE that I cannot even tweet on the plane coming to Blogopolis..NO FAIR. 
    No I am not an addict....am I?

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