I find that the more I'm on social media, the more time I'm wasting and not finding those benefits as much anymore. My friends are posting more memes and jokes they've seen elsewhere and less about themselves. My hometown page is more about petty squabbles, irrelevant (to me) business promotions, and random pipe dreams of the town's future. While I did find out about Joe Jackson's and "Weird Al"'s latest tours, the information is as easily accessible on their sites. Promoting my photography is something I don't have as much time for these days. And that doesn't count all the sponsored content that I have zero interest in and can't avoid.
I know all this, yet I still find myself logging in repeatedly throughout the day. I've been watching Dopesick here and there and find myself identifying too much with Michael Keaton's character. We both know there's a problem, we both know we're addicted regardless, and we still find ourselves giving in to it and hating that we're doing it. Every single time I find myself with a spare second, I log in to see little worth seeing. And if I'm being honest with myself, I find myself going down stupid, meaningless rabbit holes of strangers' comments on ridiculous topics. I need to get out.
I would have left sooner - and this is going to sound like a (what do the kids call it these days?) flex - but many friends have told me how much it means to see pictures of Horatio. More than one has told me that seeing his face has helped them through the pandemic. I know I can't be objective, but I choose to believe them, so I waited until he turned one. Now folks are going to have to come here to get periodic updates and fixes. Keep an eye open to see how I manage to do that, because I haven't figured that part out yet.
I'm hoping to take the time I would spend there and use it to read more, to write more, maybe to adult more, to be me more. All those times I think, "Let's take a quick peek" that turn into a five, ten, twenty minute time suck can be put to better use.
That said, I am not deactivating the account; I'm simply removing the app from my phone and blocking the site on the laptop. I'm doing this so I can keep the messenger app working. My hope is that any time folks are tempted to tag me in something, they'll take an extra second and message me instead, whether it's a Star Wars meme, a Shakespeare joke, or a funny cat video. Or, Gods forbid, we have an actual conversation. And I will try to do the same. If this means we don't hear from each other for a while, I wish you all the best. If you stop by here from time to time, I'll try to make it worth your while with my not-even-close-to-trademarked witticisms, observations, and photos.
In the meantime, here's a picture of Horatio with a spoon in his mouth :-)>
