As I’ve reported before, I periodically suffer from SoMeFat (Social Media Fatigue).
It’s perhaps been heightened now with the additional disorder of Multiple Social Network Disorder (Facebook, Twitter, and now Google+ to keep up with!)
So this past week, I left it all behind when my family and I headed to the beach in Maine. I even left my iPhone at home. (I know, the unthinkable).
Here’s the thing, I didn’t miss it at all!
Instead I:
- Enjoyed my delightful children
- Spent time with my husband
- Celebrated yet another year on the planet (yes, a birthday party, complete with decorated shells my daughter made as party favors)
- Boogie boarded and played in the waves endlessly
- Read (OK – it was on my Kindle so I wasn’t completely device free)
- Stared at the ocean
- Rode my bike
- Slept a lot (periodically asleep by 8:30 pm!)
- Took pictures with my camera
- Took pictures with my mind
I feel like – at least for the immediate term – I will change my SoMe consumption habits. I mean to be a little less on top of it all. Perhaps a little more structured about when I venture out to check on my Tweets and my FB. (Although, seriously, with Google+ all bets are off now – we’ve got a shiny new toy to experiment with!)
Are you in need of a TechFast? How do you recharge?
5 comments:
Hey Cammy--in complete support of a tech fast! I took a much longer sabbatical than I'd originally intended, but it's made a world of difference in my writing and thinking. I am very much looking at how to better balance on an ongoing basis my need to explore new ideas and connect with people and my need to get offline where I can enjoy life and let some of this other stuff percolate a little.
So glad to hear you had an enjoyable vacation!
I took an almost Techfast last week on holiday in France. Yes I did take a laptop, iPad, iPhone and Kindle (ridiculous I know) but I hardly touched them (if I had immersed myself for any time my wife would anyway have killed me). It was great. Out of my head and into the world.
I'm becoming more and more convinced of the need for restraint with social media. And I don't feel any real impulse to immerse myself in Google+ yet. Another social network - however brilliant - seems just to make me yawn.
Hi Cammy, I too went SoMeFat. However, I referred to it as MoPhoFree. I had gone MoPhoFree for nearly 6 months and blogged about it on and off. It was definitely a rewarding experience where in the end everyone wins.
I encourage everyone to detox from the social media network and mobile phone world at least twice a year. It's important to rid yourself of toxicity. Once you do, you can see clearly, the objects and conversations of value.
Great post, Cammy! I couple of years ago I got to a similar point of fatigue. I started reflecting on the way technology (in general, but social media especially)negatively impacts my own sense of life balance. Since then, I've taken three vacations where I didn't take a laptop or use a smart phone (except to make voice calls). Even asked for recommendations on places to go and directions the old fashioned way - stop a stranger and ask!
Now I try to take a mini tech break one day a week, or a couple of evenings. No PC, no Android.
The results are phenomenal. Now I sometimes can't wait to turn off the PC, and find myself muttering "ugh, ANOTHER tool?" when I hear about the latest media tool I can't live without. It never ends. It's up to us to keep a lid on it! Thanks for a great post.
Great post, Cammy! A couple of years ago I got to similar point of SoMeFat, or really technology fatigue in general. I started seeing how technology impacting my sense of life balance. I decided to take periodic tech breaks, like one day or a couple of evenings a week where I turn off all online technologies completely.
I even took three vacations where I left my laptop at home, and only used my smartphone for voice calls. No googling for places to go or getting directions. Got those the old fashioned way: stopped strangers and asked!
Thanks for the post.
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