Toward the end of July, I decided to take a hiatus from all social media. This meant no Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Vine, my blog, and even Snapchat. I took this leave of absence for many reasons, mostly pertaining to my life, but also to go back to how it truly felt like not to be absorbed in the digital world.
Upon stepping out of the digital realm, I began to understand how “in it” I had become. There was the “I should Instagram this” or “I should tweet about that” that came to mind several times. My thumbs were lacking the love, which they received while flipping through photos or tweets. I felt lost for the first week and a half, but began to feel peace towards the end of the month.
The world outside of the social network universe is real and is away from all the drama that can be put into 142 words or less. Or captured in a photo that one gets some sort of “digital high” from the amount of likes they receive. I found that being away from such vices makes a person truly realize what it means to have good communication skills beyond what typed words can produce. The social network universe can sometimes produce a fake image of someone unlike the real world, where you get the whole package.
I truly believe that when a person takes an #unplugged venture into the real world, they also begin to focus on what is most important to them. Everywhere I go, I see the zombified faces of “downers” (people who constantly have faces in their smartphones). If people step away from the social media, they’re able to look forward and see the future and what it may hold for them. I began to understand this as I took my glued face away from my phone and I wasn’t afraid to see what was in front of me. I had conversations with random people or said hi to them rather than endless numbification of what could be seen on my phone.
As time was made less on my phone, I was able to make time for DIY projects such as my polka dot shorts and use of my JFK stamp, which will be used in future projects. It was also spent on finishing my summer reading list, having great times with friends and family, focusing on running my marathon, and most of all – peace of mind. I highly recommend this type of hiatus for others, as they will see for themselves what it means to have time away from the chains of their digital life to one that has absolute freedom of mind.
Classically Yours,
ZRH
independentgentleman
independentgentleman.wordpress.com 