Spending time on social media can be a double-edged sword. This week Janine and Shannon discuss the how’s and why’s of Shannon’s recent deactivation of her Facebook and Instagram accounts–and the relief she felt afterward.
Discussion topics include:
- How Shannon deactivated her Facebook and Instagram accounts four days before we recorded this episode
- Her reasons: Social media was sucking up time but she wasn’t really gaining anything from it (it was a waste of her time!)
- The pressure Shannon felt to do social media properly
- The temptations she felt (but resisted) to get back on to Facebook temporarily after she deactivated
- How her ingrained habit of opening the social media apps on her phone became apparent
- The huge sense of relief that Shannon felt when she deactivated her accounts
- Taking a break from social media vs. deactivating accounts
- Shannon’s plan: To go back on social media mindfully once she really wants to and has a clear purpose for doing it
- What a toxic environment social media can be
- How deactivating her accounts allows Shannon space to decide whether or not to go on it
- A little foray into a discussion of ice cream flavors from Salt & Straw in Portland
- The power of the deactivation–it relieves the pull of social media
- Janine’s temptation to follow in Shannon’s footsteps and deactivate her accounts
Update: Ten days after we recorded this episode, Shannon is still deactivated. She did pop on to Facebook to deal with podcast posts for last week’s episode, but so far does not feel compelled to get back on. Janine has not taken the plunge but is spending less time on Facebook (and virtually no time on Instagram).
