{"id":3081,"date":"2018-08-30T16:08:13","date_gmt":"2018-08-30T20:08:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/imprint\/?p=3081"},"modified":"2018-10-29T17:00:08","modified_gmt":"2018-10-29T21:00:08","slug":"life-beyond-social-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/imprint\/life-beyond-social-media\/","title":{"rendered":"Life Beyond Social Media"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Elena Triantafyllopoulou<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Mornings were not always calm.<\/p>\n

Swipe, unlock, check notification, lock phone again.\u00a0 As I drank my morning coffee, I mechanically clicked, swiped, unlocked, checked notifications, locked phone again. It was constant throughout the day, a low-slung voice hidden in the back of my head whispering this would make a good post, that would make a good post, <\/em>which exasperated my inner peace.<\/p>\n

All that changed this past July 1st, which marks my seventh month off of social media! All social media. Yes, it’s been this long, and no, I don’t miss it. Contrary to popular expectation, yes, I’ve survived.<\/p>\n

Flashback seven months ago to the last time I posted. I remember taking a picture. I spent\u00a0 considerable time taking it, editing it, finding a caption for it, checking that all was intact before I took a deep breath and clicked POST. What’s the big deal? It’s not like I’m getting graded on this. <\/em>Except it seemed as though I was.\u00a0 Then, I thought it was important to have a post be aesthetic, with captivating lighting, and an appropriate caption to grant me a reasonable amount of ‘likes’ and ‘comments.’ This was not just a short assignment; it was a mid-term project. Not casual; elaborate. This exhausting effort was why @username liked your post <\/em>became the bell which made me salivate.<\/p>\n

That same evening, while I was lying in bed trying to allow sweet slumber to take over, it occurred to me,\u00a0 this is who I have become.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Nothing seemed to matter that evening except dwelling on this post.\u00a0 I fought the urge to\u00a0 check up on it. <\/em>Check up on it? Why was I even thinking about it? <\/em>I flipped on my stomach.\u00a0 Why am I relying on the approval of others?\u00a0 <\/em>At the time, it seemed this one post defined how I was perceived, by everyone, including \u2013 if not mostly \u2013 myself.<\/p>\n

The next morning, I woke up frustrated. I felt so neurotic and ruled by this platform which I had given <\/em>power to.\u00a0 Logically, I knew it was a waste of time.\u00a0 But subconsciously, I fought the urge and tendency to feel like I was missing out on something.\u00a0 But would I?<\/p>\n

Despite all the self-actualization books, the Power of Now<\/em>, Deepak Chopra interviews, as well as Ted Talks, meditation, and yoga, I slipped deep in this hole of unawareness. My time was spent scrolling and ‘liking’ and scrolling again.<\/p>\n

I might be exaggerating here. I might just be blaming social media for my insecurities.\u00a0 Or I might be placing too much focus on something that doesn’t need my focus.\u00a0 And I might just be unnecessarily suspicious about the fact that we share aspects of ourselves a little too freely with everybody and anyone.\u00a0 Regardless, it made me feel exposed.\u00a0 I began to question if this type of openness is good.\u00a0 I also wondered if we really are more in-touch with each other as a result of platforms which summarize ourselves into pictures and 140 characters.\u00a0 Or are we becoming more introverted, more reclusive, with every tweet or snap chat?<\/p>\n

January 1st, 2018, I deleted everything. And by “everything” I mean the last two social media platforms which stuck it out for me: Instagram and Facebook. Instagram was harder to let go of because, I enjoyed having it. But I had to choose my battles and this wasn’t important enough to have to fight for.<\/p>\n

The first few days went a little like this: click, swipe, unlock, nothing, lock phone again. After seven\u00a0 days: click, swipe, lock. After twelve: click, lock. And after twenty-one, (typically how long it takes to develop a habit), I let it be.<\/p>\n

I felt and feel so free.\u00a0 So present. My mind is not entangled in a virtual world and the compulsive voice has vanished. When I used to attend my life with the hope that I could capture the best of it to share, now, I just live it. My choice to detach has worked for me until now, but I am not nearly as opposed to social media as I was a little over half a year ago. Perhaps social media is the most self-expression some people engage in. Are we \u2013 am I \u2013 pessimistic to criticize it and render it egocentric, out-of-touch-with-reality? Times are changing, and developments such as social media seem unavoidable. We might as well adapt. Maybe space and better perspective is what I needed in my journey.\u00a0 This was a first-world unnecessary struggle I had to disconnect from.\u00a0 I needed to become aware, accept, and respect my innermost certitude.\u00a0 And it has worked.<\/p>\n

Which is Good.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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