Let me be perfectly clear.  I was an early user of Facebook and I loved it.  I am unapologetic about this.  Over the last 7 years I have had people try and give me shit about it, and their arguments are moot.  Don't tell me "You sure are on FB a lot," and not realize that in order for you to know this that YOU are on FB a lot.

I felt early on, that as a person who believes in the power of a personal brand, that social media can be an incredibly positive and powerful tool.

But on September 9th, 2015, at around 7:40 pm.  I took it off my phone.  Along with twitter (which I've never really used), and Instagram, which I use a bit.  I didn't delete any accounts and kept the messenger function, but something in me just said.  Enough.

I've read a couple different articles in the past about people who have quit for a month and friends that give it up for lent, but I've never been one.  To be clear, I may not quit at all.  But last week, I needed a break.

I have, over the last 7 years, done my best to try an be positive on the social medias.  Snarky, yes, misconstrued, sometimes, an a-hole, allegedly.  I try and steer clear of religion, politics and sex, and despite what some may think, try to not get too caught up in it all.

Last Wednesday I realized that I was going the other direction.  Nothing terribly offensive, but the banter turned a little harsh, and I thought for a moment, "Why am even bothering with commenting on this?"

"Do I even care about this?" "Does this subject, even affect me, and if not, why am I bothering with it, unless just to be an asshole?"

I pulled the rip cord. 7:47 p.m.

I of course wondered both if I would have withdrawals (no) and how long it would last (7 days).  I didn't go in with the intent of quitting forever, but heres a few things I divined from a week without engaging on social media.

1.  Nothing happened.  Well, nothing important.  I have 138 notifications to tend to, but so what.
2. I do a lot of business and branding on FB.  Im not saying I "need" to be on it, but I have invested in it both with time and $.  If I am quitting, I'm not going out with a fizzle.
3. Social media IS the way people interact beyond their inner small circle.  There is no denying that I get a ton of information, some of it even useful, via SOME.
4. We all like pictures, and Instagram is cool.  But damn,  I (and you) take some stupid ass pics of some uninteresting ass shit.  I also became acutely aware of people composing their next "cool" shot.  It's effing exhausting when you step back from it.  With that being said, I am going to start another IG account for our new dog @izzydingo.  Gotta get rich some way, and apparently exploiting your kids on there for money is frowned upon.  Uptight assholes.
5. I will formulate more of a conscious plan for my usage and will likely not be putting either apps on my phone anytime soon.  Last night I attended an event that encouraged hashtagging and the like so I reloaded twitter and instagram.  I got home around 10, and at 10:30 I was still scrolling through some mundane ass pics of stuff I don't care about.  For 38 mins.  It's a time suck.
6. I'll likely disregard everything I have learned in the last week and be a mindless user in a month.  You've been warned.

Hugs + High fives,

PF