Social media has become an integral part of my daily life. Like millions of others, I confess that I am guilty of checking in on my Facebook friends regularly throughout the day. Seeing what others are up to, updating my own status, sharing links and joining the conversation is as natural to my day as eating and sleeping. So when the end of the year approached and I decided to take a vacation, I decided my vacation would also include a break from social media. It was likely that my destination would provide wifi, but I pledged to refrain from visiting Facebook, including my private messages, for the entire week. My last post on Facebook as I went off into the sunset was this image. Once posted, I left the site and decided to not return until my vacation had ended. I have some thoughts about my week without Facebook and I’ve decided to write this blog entry on my return flight BEFORE I go back to Facebook. I don’t want my thoughts tainted by what I discover when I return. 1) It was easier to relax and enjoy my vacation without thinking about posting photos, writing status updates or engaging with others on the site. Once I overcame the first urge to post a photo from my location, I just let it go and felt like I was able to connect with the experience in the here and now. And there’s the takeaway. 2) Being gone over a holiday, New Year’s Eve in particular, was interesting. I’m sure Facebook was absolutely littered with celebratory wishes of a happy 2015. I was not part of the online festivities in any regard. Any wishes toward me were met with silence; not even a like. Did anyone feel offended? I really don’t know, but I suspect there are those who wondered why I didn’t return the niceties. What did I learn from this? I’ve made a practice of letting go of what others’ think of me. Recognizing that my silence could be misinterpreted was one thing. Releasing others’ perceptions and conclusions as “not my problem” was quite freeing. Besides, anyone that was really curious would have investigated my personal page to discover the announcement that I was going dark on Facebook for the week. 3) My Private Message inbox must be full of unread messages. As stated above, there may be those who may think I am being insensitive by not replying to their message. Someone may even be hurt. The fact is, I haven’t seen your message. We engage at the speed of typing today. So no reply could easily be misconstrued to infer “I don’t care.” But it’s just not the case. 4) I don’t feel the need to share my week with anyone. It’s all mine. There won’t be any reports of where I went. I won’t be posting any photos or videos of my experience. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Nothing. Bupkis. I’ve learned that my personal privacy is one of my highest values. I’ve learned how to set healthy boundaries for my self and it’s empowering to transfer similar boundaries in places where I share my persona publicly. 5) I missed you all just a bit! I’m so used to reading your updates, enjoying your photos and videos, and reading the interesting and entertaining comments you post on my wall. In fact, here’s a true confession. I’m so programmed to check Facebook on my phone just after I check my mail, twice I automatically clicked the app and it launched. I immediately panicked and thought, “That’s Facebook! NOOOOO!” I didn’t wait for anything to load. I just shut down the app right away. There were multiple other instances where I ALMOST launched the app but caught myself. Phew. Close call. Going without Facebook helped me realize that I am not hopelessly addicted to social media. I can make the choice to disconnect if I want to and I don’t feel this incredibly strong pull. However, I also know that I really LIKE being connected with my friends! The way we engage has been so transformed that I truly enjoy the experience. I really appreciated my week away. It felt like I was on a secret government mission and I wasn’t allowed to discuss my bureau assignment with anyone. But I am eager to say hello to everyone and enter the conversation once again. And I do wonder… did you miss me?
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