My Social Media Break

Last week I took a break from Facebook & Twitter. It wasn't this huge, gallant move to unearth the deep, dark reality of what lurks underneath my soul with these outlets... Rather I just noticed I was spending a lot of time checking them and posting and, quite frankly, it felt like a relief to not do them.

Now,a week later here are some things I observed:

• I believe some things on my heart are there not for the keeping but to be shared. I missed doing that, BUT in the same regard I kinda liked turning off the pressure to always have something to say. Or pretend my life is more exciting than it really is.
• Honestly some of the reason I even went on Twitter is to build a following. Plain and simple. Yes, I have things to share but I'm not sure I would if it were not for a certain book that's been gestating in me for years and wants to come out. In order for that to happen, publishers and agents look for my "platform." Is there an audience of people who want to listen to what I have to say? Twitter is a place to network and share with others "the message" so to speak. And I've been blessed to connect with people I never would have had I not have began fluttering about on Twitter.
• I have more free time than most right now because I only work 25 hours or so at Starbucks. During this transition time looking for a job, "social networking" is a nice filler (sometimes it feels like the world is at my fingertips and anythings possible). Maybe I'll be "discovered"?
• I don't have a hand-held device, therefore social media is a sit down event for me. I think this can take away from the "in the moment" fun of it.
• The time I spend on Twitter & Facebook often feels like community but I think a better word is connection (Anne Jackson at Flowerdust.net distinguished it this way and I agree). I've made a lot of connections through these forums but they cannot replace human interaction, individual or communal.
• My life in SLO is still new to me and I miss the life-on-life interactions I experienced in Orange County. My community there knew me well. They had a lot of insight into my life story and God's dreams for my life, so just being in these friends presence helped remind me of who I am and where I'm going. I miss that, a lot. Here that is still being built, and it may never quite be what life in the OC was, and so sometimes I feel lonely with a lot of time on my hands. In that time, I can acquiesce to curling up with my computer. When really being out with people or grabbing coffee with an acquaintance may be the better decision.

The week away was good. I think sometimes we need to step back from something to see what's going on for us when we do it. Not judging it but just being open to learning and adjusting from what we learn.

And here's what I took away...

I have no intention of leaving Facebook or Twitter, rather I'm making a shift in my heart. I want to spend more time majoring in face to face relationship and being available to others, and then minor on social media. When I "tweet" or "post" I want it to be the overflow of everything else going on in my life, not the thing to make my life seem interesting.

Thanks everyone for letting me ramble and think this through "out loud."

How has Facebook & Twitter been for you?