Eighteen days ago I decided to free myself from the burden of all social media and what a difference it has made. (I should say almost all social media. I am still on Instagram to stay connected with some family.) But the rest of it -- Reddit, Threads, Twitter, and especially Facebook -- I've waived a middle finger and turned my back to the wind, as they say. I would recommend everyone to do the same.
Why did I do this? First, everything today is dominated by politics and I found myself going on social media daily (like almost everyone) and spending hours feeding into the paranoia, anxiety and outright anger of others. Even more pathetic is half the information on social media is false, but, incredibly, that doesn't even seem to matter!
Not only was I wasting hours doing absolutely nothing, but far worse than that, the time spent on those sites was weighing heavily on my mental health. I got to the point that it felt like the world really was ending. That's not how life should be lived.
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| If social media had a face... |
So I pulled the plug.
Now I am finding myself a much happier person. Yes, I follow the news. And yes, I am among those that feel our country is in a very messed up place right now, but it cannot define my existence.
Fast forward two and a half weeks: other than life's usual challenges, I am relaxing and reading Get Happy by Gerald Clarke, a biography of Grand Rapids' own Judy Garland. And my biggest stressors right now are my NCAA brackets and who to cut from my fantasy football dynasty team. That's the kind of stress I prefer.
Before I left social media, I remember someone, somewhere said, "How can people just go on living their lives like nothing is wrong?" That was the moment I knew I had to say adios to the screens and apps. Because what the hell am I supposed to do? Lock myself in a dark room and never come out? It seems that is what some people were suggesting.
Life is about choices. I've made mine.
^^^
On a related note, this weekend I have been enjoying watching the NCAA National Tournament... but even Instagram, my lone connection to social media, has more than its share of toxicity.
McNeese State has a student manager named Amir Khan and he became a "social media sensation" early in the tournament after walking out with the team with a giant boombox around his neck. He even got a nickname: "Aura." Khan is a 22 year-old sports management major from Lake Charles, Louisiana; just a typical college kid doing his job as student manager and having fun with his team; he is clearly beloved by the players.
But the goons were out in force on Instagram. "He's an idiot" "WTF?" "A fat banana" were among the more kind comments. And it hit home AGAIN the reason why I left most social media. It is a fucking sewage tank full of pathetic souls who are miserable in the their own lives and it kills them to see anybody enjoying their own.
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| "Aura" Khan walking out with the team. |
The fact is, these are young people enjoying the moment -- a once in a lifetime moment at that. I mean, Kahn was sitting next to Spike Lee on Saturday. How cool is that? Oh, and guess what? McNeese State defeated the heavily favored Clemson Tigers in the first round, which was their first NCAA tournament victory in school history.
How dare anyone be happy for them?
Life is about choices. Choose wisely.