Peacefully Offline

Social Media, friend or foe?

I was fortunate this holiday to visit my grandfather on his farm in Namibia. It felt good to connect with family and old friends. What I enjoyed most was the digital detox that somehow came as a bonus. I opted not to get a local sim card. I figured, if someone wanted to get hold of me, they could get me on my brother’s number. I would wake up to the sound of birds chirping and the smell of coffee brewing on the old coal stove.

I think we all need a digital detox every now and then. Your first thought may be, but how are they going to get hold of me? What if I miss an important opportunity? Yes, I was actually thinking what if my neighbour who was looking after our house was trying to get hold of me? I could have a burst geyser or something. In the end, everything was fine. I was amazed at how much I could get done, how many good conversations we had, without being distracted by the phone buzzing and beeping, telling you how important you are and how everyone is trying to reach you.

I have been off Facebook and Social Media for a while and I thank myself every day that I don’t have to look at endless screens. I know it sounds a bit naïve, because surely there is some benefit to people knowing what you do and there may be some missed opportunities, but I still feel the pros far outweigh the cons. You should try it too. You could start by leaving your phone at home for the day as you go to work. I can almost hear some of you saying no, ain’t gonna happen!

Think about what you are trying to change in your life. Something you just never have time for. Well, if you were not looking at your phone the whole day, you may just get to it. Our days are consumed by shallow work, work that can be done with eyes closed and a minimised Facebook or Twitter Page.
We were ready to get on a flight the other morning, only to find out that it had been delayed for an hour. I wanted to kick myself that I checked in my running shoes, what better way to kill an hour. They were probably not going to allow me on the tarmac, but I was sure I could find something to do to get my heart rate up. The lady next to me was on Facebook. She kept on refreshing, nothing new came up. Damn, are these people still asleep? And so most people spent the hour looking down at their screens. Is this how you want to start 2018? Is it really that important that you spend every waking moment engaged in digital noise? What is your trade-off? What is it that you just didn’t get time to do today? What are you putting off? As we start the new year, make a point to disengage, switch off and just enjoy the moment.