Disconnecting: Too Transparent for Social Media

It seems so simple… a small, convenient device that puts the world at our fingertips. From your phone, tablet, or computer you now have a mobile office, school room, instant connection with friends, a sports ticker, and thousands of tiny little apps that allow you to do anything from smashing candy to tracking your fitness. What could be better, right?

Unless…you’re missing out on valuable moments by the time that’s wasted in space with these apps and gadgets. Do any of us really want to know how many hours we’ve spent scrolling Pinterest? Sure, my husband is thankful for some tasty meals and I’ve managed to recreate a few craft projects but what other purpose do the 2.2k, that’s right, 2.2 thousand pins that I have pinned on various boards serve?

There was a day a few weeks ago that I decided to put down my phone. It was time for me to unplug and disconnect. I fell into a bad habit of scrolling through Facebook or playing on my phone to pass the time while sitting and nursing or holding my sleeping daughter when she wouldn’t allow me to put her down.  There are two main reasons that I look at Facebook frequently: (1) I can’t stand talking on the phone…ever, and (2) I have a lot of family and close friends back home that I like to keep in touch with and share Addisyn with them all.  However, a few weeks ago during this seemingly harmless activity, I looked down to see my daughters big blue eyes staring straight at me. I immediately realized that I was missing out on valuable moments with her. Sure she might gaze at me for 20 seconds and close her eyes to finish her meal, but in those 20 seconds or longer (and for the rest of her life) that she may be staring up at me… I want to be looking back at her and not at whatever electronic device is the new fad.  That’s when I put my phone down.  That’s when I decided that those unseen but heard texts, even if they happened to be from my mother or best friend, could wait until a later time.  That’s when I stopped carrying my phone from room to room ensuring that it was in earshot. So if you text or call me… and it’s hours or even a day before I respond, it’s because I’m living life with my little one and enjoying the here and now. I’ll always find an excuse to pick up my phone, but I have started making the conscious choice that I would rather be living my life in the moment and reserving only a few moments each day to check in through all those media outlets.

In fact… what are we truly missing if we go an evening that we’re not “connected” to our devices.  How much time is spent encouraging or uplifting each other on these sites anyway? If I had not relocated and were closer to my family and friends, I wonder if I would even be connected through social media at all. I openly share pictures and post a lot now because my family and friends back home aren’t able to join in the day to day of our lives and I’m not able to be in theirs. In some way, I feel closer to them if they know the happenings in our lives, but if we’re honest we can do without a lot of the stuff on our feed or newspage. Most often people are too transparent for the virtual world they’re living in. Openly posting personal information, gossiping about other people, stirring up dissent… how much of this should we be exposed to anyway?  How are we spending our time when we are connected? Are we uplifting anyone?  I see people… likable people…who passive aggressively bash friendships, family members, places of business and/or opinions of others on a regular basis.  These people mean no real harm, they’re just vocal and sharing their opinion (which most of you know is something that I’m guilty of regularly) but I feel people are more apt to share their views and opinions, especially if they step on the toes of others when they are behind the screen.  The Bible tells us how to live richly in the wisdom of the Lord. Proverbs is a great book to begin your journey in if you’re looking to answer a call to be more noble in day to day life.  Proverbs 13:3 says, “He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.” Perhaps we need to be a bit more cognizant of what we’re liking, posting, tweeting, or sharing.  Harmless clicks of buttons, emoticons, and the overly used LOL (I’m guilty!) might just make us the person who “speaks rashly” when it’s all said and done.

Whatever the case, I’ve resolved to challenge myself to disconnect from social media and spend more time connecting. I’ll be busy connecting with my daughter’s beautiful blue eyes as I hold her, connecting with my neighbors in passing, and connecting with life.