So I gave up FB -- except for keeping in touch with my closest "friends" on there through messenger. I don't see their posts, but they tell me everything they're doing. In fact, I spend more time messaging them than I ever did commenting on their posts.
I've never seen any of these people in person, although some of them live in my city. I'd love to meet them, but -- COVID. Maybe I'll meet them one day.
“Every social association that is not face-to-face is injurious to your health”
― Nassim Nicholas Taleb
One lives in France, but we started out writing together in 2009, and she is the loveliest person. I truly love her. One lives in Sweden. Same as with the one in France, but we aren't quite as close, still I love her. One lived an hour from me for many years and we never met, but he was the only person who kept in touch with me the first time I left Facebook (I've left three times, once for years). I adore him! We met as fellow gardeners. He and I are like soulmates who agree on everything. A couple are new acquaintances, but we just "clicked," you know what I mean?
“It was as impersonal as the Internet itself, the object responsible for connecting you to long lost people in your life, and many new ones, none of whom you will ever see.”
― Kenneth Eade, Killer.com
Then one day I clicked into Twitter just to see if my account was still open for The Consummate Gardener so I could post links to my blog -- which I totally promised myself I was going to start posting in. Oh yeah -- that was the account I used ALSO for some limited politics. You can see where this is going, right? I was quite addicted to political twitter as a member of "The Resistance" during the last administration. It meant nothing to anyone. I had over 10,000 followers, all determined to take back congress and defeat our so-called *president, and I don't know who any of them are now, nor do I care. I quit that account long ago, deleted all politics from my gardening account, but a few seemed to slip through the cracks. I want to go in and delete them...and I will...I know I will...one day.
"Tempted to type meaningless twaddle all the time on Twitter...with alliteration, no less!"
E.A. Bucchianeri
You never know you're addicted until you try to stop. Every day, several times a day, I'll see something or do something and want to go post it on social media. Why? Do people really care? The answer is no. How do I know this? Because like I said, I quit Facebook three times. I also quit Twitter and Google+ when that was a thing. I told people I was quitting. Some of them wanted to keep in touch. We exchanged emails. Only two of them ever contacted me outside of social media. One literally begged me not to leave, said the only way she could talk to me was on Facebook. That's just pathetically sad.
“Was going to post something on Facebook until I asked myself why.”
― David E Love
And don't get me started on streaming tv online. I like British detective and mystery shows, and lately have started watching Australian and Canadian TV. Why? Because I was looking for something to watch and found that I had watched ALL of the British detective and mystery shows, sometimes up to 20 seasons of them, then watched their spinoffs and am currently working on watching some of their prequels. I've also caught up on all the American TV shows I care to watch. I don't see commercials, because I stream things, so I'm not bombarded by ads, at least. Still, I've watched up to 16 hours of t.v. in a day. One weekend I binge watched an entire 3-season series.
“In its easy provision of relaxation and escape, television can be beneficial in limited doses. Yet when the habit interferes with the ability to grow, to learn new things, to lead an active life, then it does constitute a kind of dependence and should be taken seriously.”
— Robert Kubey and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Right now, I have a list of five things that are broken in my apartment that I haven't gotten fixed because I don't clean house because I'm either on social media or watching tv. I've already watched one tv show today. I reward myself for cleaning by watching more tv shows.
I decided that during the pandemic, I would start a new hobby, so I started watching YouTube craft videos. I fell into the jewelry making videos, and that seemed like something I could love, so when I got my first stimulus check, I spent about $30 on jewelry making supplies, mostly from the Dollar Tree, which is big amongst the YT craft crowd. Then I watched more videos, and bought more supplies, and then a couple more every time I went to Dollar Tree (which was way too often). I've now spent over $150 on supplies and haven't made one piece of jewelry. I did mix a bit of homemade cold porcelain clay and make a few beads just for fun -- and because there was nothing to watch on TV -- but no jewelry. I have everything I need, I just haven't done it.
Don't get me started on the van dwelling, moving to Mexico, dumpster diving, reselling from Goodwill and other videos I watch. I justify it by saying I'm learning something -- yeah, like how to avoid life. This person definitely was not watching videos on how to speak or write proper English, and she's a NYT best selling author -- with an excellent editor, no doubt. Sheesh.
I don't know where my internet addiction will end. Monday, my doctor told me to drink a gallon of water a day and get serious about the Mediterranean diet. But first, I need to clean my kitchen -- right after I watch the rest of this one tv show.
“Too often too much social media and the latest internet trends drain us and erode us of creativity, drive, peace of mind and sense of purpose. ”
― Germany Kent
I'll leave you with this last thought, then I'm going to actually get up and fix myself a salad for lunch. Then I'm going outside to transplant some volunteer seedlings from the garden. After that, who knows?
“The internet is used as not just a tool anymore but as part of our daily makeup. Almost like oxygen. Discipline goes a long way in protecting our sanity.”
― Torron-Lee Dewar, Creativity is Everything
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