ELON Musk's planned Twitter takeover led to a few celebrities 'announcing' that they were leaving the social media platform. I didn't understand why they felt the need to inform anyone of their decision. Why not just disappear? Way to go to take a stand...
Social media has become a necessary evil in life. Many people couldn't fathom a life without it, those who don't bother with it are the exceptions - but they are fast becoming my heroes.
Don't get me wrong, social media has its advantages. I love the sense of community it sometimes cultivates, the sharing of opinions when articulated constructively, it can be an entertaining space and I have discovered many great stories and people on socials. One downside, however, is the temptation to be too visible and to over-share.
I have done this in the past. In what now seems like a former life, I had time to spend on social media. These days, I have no choice but to manage the time I spend on there. I try to check in and check out.
I have disengaged with social media so much that I now go home after a day/night out or come away from particular experiences realising that whatever I was doing would have made great 'content' - but I couldn't be bothered documenting my time in this way.
We have a built in 'fear of missing out', which social media exacerbates. Time away from the visibility of other people's lives allows us be present in our own. Thanks to the pandemic and becoming a parent, I have less time for 'Fomo' and I am grateful for that.
Sometimes, the way people engage with socials gives away what's going on with them in life. Recently I noticed that a couple of people I follow have been more visible than usual. I sensed that something had changed in their lives, and it had.
Visibility isn't as empowering as it seems, it can also expose vulnerability. Yet, we seem more and more afraid of the silence, of disappearing. There is great power in both.
Last year, I was very taken with writer and actor Michaela Coel's acceptance speech when she won the Emmy for writing for a limited series. She said: "In a world which constantly entices us to browse through the lives of others to help us better determine how we feel about ourselves and to in turn, feel the need to be constantly visible. For visibility these days seems to somehow equate to success. Don't be afraid to disappear from it, from us, for a while and see what comes to you in the silence."
When was the last time you gave yourself space like this?
This week, lecturer, author and broadcaster Brené Brown announced that she is taking time away from social media for the summer because she wants to create a little bit of space to let other things into her life.
People do love to over-share when they are away on holiday, and use their downtime to fill the space. She wrote a great article on her website about the power of taking a breath before she asks or answers a question.
Doing this is awkward, she says, but it is life-giving and after the challenges of the last two years, she wants to reinvest in space because she is tired and the pause is suffering.
The pause provides valuable time to reset, recalibrate. Recognising this shows confidence.
The notion of stepping back from socials might frighten some people, while it invigorates others. I wonder why we are afraid of the space and the quiet, and why we feel the need to fill it - not necessarily thinking about or considering what we fill it with?
When I started work as a freelancer in media, I had to embrace the hustle. The hustle for work is a great space filler. It pulled me from pillar to post for years. I put my head down and worked hard for six years before I really came up for air.
I filled time with being busy, and didn't know what to do in the space, the silence, when it appeared.
The fear of not remaining relevant is something a lot of us feel in a world where all aspects of our lives can so easily be shared and documented.
