Several years ago, I took the month of August off of Facebook, deactivating my account. It was glorious. What DID we actually all do before social media anyway? Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and all the other online social apps that the younger kids seem to use. For months I have been wanting to do my own social media diet again. But with my business, thought it maybe wasn't the best idea.
What is social media anyway? A means to connect. Share ideas. Thoughts. Pretty Pictures. Food. Recruit followers (even Terrorists use it). A virtual means to Sell...thoughts as well as things. Social media can be enlightening, fun and oh so very toxic.
For many artists, it's a means to get ones work out there and connect with your customer. With the dawn of Facebook burying posts from a fan page (unless you pay $ to get your page into the very peoples feeds who LIKED your page in the first place) the fan page now seems useless. So I accepted virtually every friend request I received. (unless it looks like a fake account, which is an entirely different topic-#click farms) Using my personal page to advertise my work, sales, etc. I have met some cool people in social media, new customers (thank you for your support of my work) and developed some great friendships. I have also unsubscribed A LOT from people's feeds. This platform that was suppose to connect friends has become a "
Propaganda Playground". The PR heads of political parties, lobby groups, and corporate advertisers LOVE facebook. Create a Meme and put it out there, then the "Sheeple" repost it like it is Gospel truth, when in fact an enormous % of the time, the facts are wrong or misquoted to create a manipulated outcome, ultimately creating only MORE divisiveness. My honey and I are avid truth seekers and have logged way too many hours since the dawn of facebook verifying and calling out the people spreading propaganda. With the current US political environment, hot button topics such as guns, abortion, immigrants, refugees...Holy crap, the hate and intolerance flies like mud pies in a pig sty. Actually, I think pigs are nicer to each other than humans are online. Being the social activist and truth seeker that I am, it is SUPER hard for me to not get into theological and political debates with people. So, I unsubscribed more...even from people whose thoughts and beliefs mirrored mine. Because there is ALWAYS someone who posts a hateful comment and I find it hard to bite my tongue, or should I say stop my fingers from typing.
The voyeuristic way "friends" stalk other "friends". Reading their comments on other people's posts, then passing judgement. Been to lunch with a group of women? Ever hear the lines such as "did you see what so and so posted on facebook?" "I had no idea she believed that...____(fill in the blank" "oh, she is a hot mess"...etc, etc, etc. "we make fun of so and so behind her back because of her political beliefs" I've heard this and more. We all have.
There is so much sadness and turmoil in the world right now. Facebook was supposed to be fun. But when I read such hypocritical and hateful things, rampant lies, it raises my blood pressure...making both my heart and head hurt.
Not that there aren't some good times on FaKebook as well.
I truly hurt for the world right now and every single being in it...even for the bad guys and their sour souls. I hurt for some of the people I call "friends" who are so full of venom themselves, that they don't even see the hypocrisy in it. The intolerance. Hate begets hate. Judge not least ye be judged. Only LOVE conquers all.
To me, Social Media = Social Experimentation by the powers that be. All the pages, articles and stuff "suggested" to you by face books algorithms. The latest trending on the sidebar, suggestions to buy the last item you looked at on whatever site you last visited. "don't let it get away..." Who wants to be a puppet? I am cutting my strings and going back to the days of no social media for awhile.
Why am I putting this out there for you all to read? So you all know a few of the reasons I am taking a break....just in case you miss my sunny disposition online ;-)
Secondly, I want to take time for some internal truth seeking of my own. A sabbatical for my soul. I need to reconnect with my deepest self. Explore, play, discover and bring to life some of the ideas I have had buried for awhile because of self doubt. To shut out the outside world as much as possible, except for my CNN updates, grocery shopping (yippee) and real time stuff. :-) So I can return to social media with a more peaceful soul...a clearer vision...a new manifestation of my work and what I want it to say to the world. Because ultimately, more than anything. I want to make the world a better place and bring only light and love to the "
Table of Life".
May you each have a Wonderful Holiday Season, however you celebrate it. See you in a few months.
