My breakup with Social Media

Hondred: Thanks for meeting me on short notice. I have been trying to have this conversation with you for a while but it’s been difficult getting the words out of my mouth.
SM: Y didn’t u just link up on Whatsapp or DM me on twitter or something?
Hondred: I could have but I prefer doing this face to face as opposed to sending messages and stuff.
SM: K so wassup?
Hondred: There is no easy way to say this but here goes. I don’t think this relationship thing is working. There is too much going on. Every minute something is happening and let’s face it you hog and demand attention.
SM: Gimme a min. Sori I didn’t get dat I was responding 2 ma gal on Twitter. Say that again.
Hondred: (Shaking my head) your attitude just confirms it. I don’t see you adding any value to my life right now. At first I thought I did but lately I realize that I am too connected to you. So I know things I shouldn’t know and I feel obliged to respond and act a certain way online with you. I don’t believe the impact I want to make is what we have right now so I think we should break up.
SM: WOW! I definitely didn’t see that comin. But can’t we work things out?
Hondred: I don’t know. When I think about everything and add your bad grammar and spelling to the mix. It makes things even more complicated. I mean don’t get me wrong I see the importance of having you with me, it’s just that right now I need some space. Maybe when my head is clear and I am less stressed I will find a way of making this relationship work.
So the conversation above never happened but in a fantasy world somewhere, this could have been the way I broke up with social media.
I don’t know about you but sometimes the notifications, information and updates feels overwhelming and stressful that one needs to take a break from social media.
For a couple of weeks now that’s what I have done and honestly it has given me clarity and insight on the toxicity that social media can cause in ones life.
Constantly being on your phone and being out of touch with reality has its negatives. Without the right perspective and balance one can end up prioritizing their phone and social media than family or personal life. Peoples lives on social media rarely mirror their reality. The selfies at the malls proclaiming life is good do not reflect what is in the fridge or what one is having for supper that night.
There was a time where every morning I woke up I would check my phone for updates on how many likes I had received or how many people have read my blog post. Is this what I live for? I feel sad even thinking about it.
As a Christian it affected me because I was not spending time in the Word as I wanted to due to me prioritizing activities on social media and leaving no time for God.
As an independent artist it’s crazy because you have to develop content to put up to keep fans and potential fans informed and interested in your brand. Without a team to help you it becomes extremely difficult especially when you are juggling a 9 to 5 as well.
Welcome to my world. At a point I was blogging about something each day. It was quite the challenge and I rather enjoyed those times but being realistic it took up a lot of time and often I felt like I was forcing and rushing the content than actually talking about stuff in a manner that will bring about impact.
I guess it boils down to the question of “why bother?”
I mean I could choose to be an observer and not contribute on social media. However, I take the gift that God has blessed me with as an artist and realize that part of being the light and salt of the earth is to share information that helps, encourages or brings about positive change.
Keeping quiet for me is quite selfish for there is a lot I experience daily that I believe the world can benefit from. This specific blog post is an example and I am doing this to connect with others who I know go through emotions similar to those which I have shared in this post.
I just have to plan my social media life better in a way that doesn’t bring about stress. I should do it for the love and not for the likes. For the impact and not the stats. Remember, just because the stats do not reflect your desires doesn’t mean your work has not impacted someone.
People have walked up to me and reminded about some things I had done in the past on social media which I never thought gathered any attention. You will be surprised the kind of offline action that social media has. It’s just difficult to report on but it does happen.
So if you are like me and broke up with social media or are considering breaking with her/him. Try reflecting instead on how you can make the relationship more meaningful and less toxic.
Keep it One HONDRED!