I have a love/hate relationship with SNS. I love being a part of fandom, I love reading headcanons and seeing everyone's incredible art and stories. I don't want to miss out even if I'm a happy lurker most of the time. But that's the problem--my Fear Of Missing Out is off the charts when I check regularly.
I'm rereading "Digital Minimalism" this month. In the first chapter there's a quote by Bill Maher who says, "Checking likes is the new smoking." And that line has stuck hard with me this time. At least with me it's very true.
I take SNS breaks several times throughout the year, I just finished an almost-month long one. I come to the same conculusion every time: "I feel happier when I'm not checking it." Then I think I'm ready to go back online and the slow drag when I need a break begins again. This past year though, that downhill fall seems to happen faster and faster. Immediately after my last break I wanted to go back again.
I'm still thinking of ways to limit my time. I'm hopeful going back to how the web was when I was growing up without SNS and updating a blog will help me be connected with the fandoms I want to be apart of on days I'm not checking. I'll keep experimenting.
SNS is my wonderful, bad habit. Like smoking, it can be an addiction. What's scary to me is, we all know what we should do about smoking.
Here's an unrelated Ken doodle!