Every year, I take a day to reflect on the previous year, look at what worked, what didn't work, and plan for the new year. And as I look over the past 10 years or so of doing this in scrap paper form, I have to laugh. But I also get frustrated at myself when I see a common theme appearing all over the place. "Stop scrolling." "Less Screens." "Just post and go."
Last year, I deleted all of my Twitter accounts. I also drastically slowed down my use of Facebook. And this year, it's time to take it further.
When it comes to my work with reuse, I help people escape the waste of resources and money. In this case, I need to help myself escape wasted time. Especially in recent years, social media has just simply become a waste of my time. Like many, I get caught scrolling when I need to be looking up. And the rewards are just not worth it.
I first started using social media back in the MySpace days and was an early user on Facebook. It was a great tool for my brand STAY VOCAL for a while. But as time has gone on, I've become increasingly disenchanted by the majority of social media platforms. A lot of it has just become a cesspool of negativity and not the surroundings that I want to be in. Our voices get lost and our attention spans do too. And most of us surely don't "need" it as much as we think we do.
With so much of my work now around in-person and virtual events, I definitely don't need social media as much. Nor do I want it. And that feels good. I'm also excited to have officially launched my consulting services, where I'll be scheduling more in-person and virtual meetings.
I just saw someone briefly at a coffee shop that I haven't seen in at least a year. And I had a way more positive interaction and learned more about her life in those few minutes than I did with all the social media combined. Likes and posts will never replace hugs and conversation. I know we're all busy, but we can all MAKE the time.
From my Facebook Page on September 4, 2018
For the past couple of weeks, I've only posted a bare minimum and not gone on the apps for "entertainment." And I have to say, the experiment feels really good. I honestly feel like my memory and recall have even been affected. I'm not seeing as many images, videos and words flashing in front of me. My brain doesn't have to intake all of that. And at the same time, I've spent more time catching up with friends, family and colleagues in real life.
I'm not going to make an immediate exit from my social media accounts, but I'm certainly going to keep it to a bare minimum. Instead of just posting to get some content up there, I'm going to post when relevant. I don't want social media to be the content. But I'll use social media to link to the content (for the time being).
When I look back on my 20 years or so of social media, it hasn't all been bad. I've been able to connect with thousands of people around the world; many of whom I've met and become real life friends with. But I feel like I have lost so much more.
We only have so much time on this planet. Do we want to spend it getting sucked into gossip, trivia, fun facts, untruths, and what famous people are doing? I don't.
I want to use my time here to focus on my friends, my family, my community and on taking action and making an impact. As I have said many times in the past, the more digitally connected we've become to every one and every thing, the less connected we become to the people we are closest to and the people who mean the most to us.
All of this said, if you're looking to stay connected with me, the Escape The Waste website is where I'll be posting the most. You can also sign up for my newsletter here or just email me. I'll also be using Linked In more regularly, as that space just feels different and not wasteful (for now). And if we know each other in real life, I hope to see you soon.
Happy New Year. Cheers. 🤝
Do you ever think about how the more digitally connected we become, the less truly connected we become? I was just having a conversation with my friend at the coffee shop about this. We learn so much about people's day to day, but we lose so much of who people really are.
For over 10 years, I have found great value in social media; mainly for my work. But when it comes to friendships, nothing will ever beat out a real life interaction. And when we have no other means to connect, there will never be a greater use for our phone than to talk to someone we care about.
From my Facebook page on February 26, 2019
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