For several months now I have been considering the positives and pitfalls of social media and the implications of me giving it up, at least temporarily.
Since 2007, social media has shaped my life in many ways. I do not admit this proudly. It has provided me contact with family members and friends who I haven't seen in many, many years. It has allowed these long lost people to see my daughter grow up. It has also given them access to aspects of my life that I probably should have never put out there. It has helped me rekindle friendships. It has broken friendships. It has allowed me a soapbox. It has given me support. I have offended many. It has created jealousies and most likely aided in the dissolution of my marriage. It single-handedly connected me with a new love relationship and the world watched as that ship went down; although this time I tried my best to keep those details on the down low. It has gotten me into trouble at work. It has helped me at work by connecting me with people who wanted to buy from me, and assisting me in getting new jobs. It has helped me see just how crazy some people are, and more than likely made other people think that I am crazy. Now I know all about when so and so had a fight with her boyfriend and what a douchbag he is. And I know all about how one person has suffered from diarrhea 150 out of the last 365 days. My parents have had access to way too many details about my personal life causing them stress and worry. I have participated in prayer chains. I have asked people to pray for me or someone I love. I have listened to the gospel each day by people who really ought to go on and read that Bible a little more before they start preaching it. I have watched loved ones triumphs and trials. I have had a platform to vent my frustrations, express my love, and to attempt to make people laugh.
What will happen if I give all of this up? I will have to find a new way to connect with people I haven't had the time to pick up the phone and talk to. I will have to leave my house more. I will become more productive at work. I will eliminate the assumptions produced by each and every public conversation I have. I will more than likely lose touch with a lot of people I really do care about. THAT is the part that scares me the most! So what do I do? Give this up completely? Or do I just refrain as much as possible and do my best to not share anything personal with the world? The most obvious answer is the latter, but anyone who knows me, knows that this will be a challenge. I cannot keep my mouth shut and a poker face doesn't exist in my vocabulary. I wear my heart on my sleeve. Do I pack up and leave one mothership of social media for another? I tried that once. To me that would be like substituting heroin with oxycontin.
As I enter a new, very important chapter of my life, I am wondering what it would be like to extinguish this form of communication from my life altogether. I would be come like a social media buddhist monk. Would I start a movement?
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