2/8 (Sat): Off twitter since 2/4 9:00. “Don’t tweet, Journal, Note.”
I scribbled that into my notebook on a Saturday morning over brunch. Nobody really needed to know at that instant where I was, or what I was having. I could’ve gone to the Moon and back.
That Twitter hiatus ended over a month later when I posted a photo saying goodbye to my bus commute as I began working from home the next day. I forgot why that hiatus started. Did I lose interest? Or was it a challenge? Probably both. But it was beneficial.
It makes me recall one notable social media hiatus in April 2018. We had a family vacation in Japan. Despite some ups and downs, we fully enjoyed ourselves. There was no urge or time to pull out the phone to post or read when you are spending quality time with family and friends. That’s such a great feeling when you just don’t care about anything else. It killed the FOMO part of social media for me.
The feeling lingered for a few weeks after the trip, making me realize how addictive social media can become and how it changes the way we treat others and ourselves. I stopped trying to read every single tweet from every one I follow.
I’m getting less value out of social media these days. More often now it has negative value, causing mental distress. That hiatus in February will not be the last.