Un-Plugged

 

12:07 PM

April 1, 2023

California, USA

Thursday, March 23rd, 2023

At seven o'clock in the morning, Monday through Friday, "Birdsong" (an automatic sound provided by Apple) rings from my phone that's sitting across my room. On a typical morning, I am up before 7 am with my phone already in my hand, just scrolling. This morning, however, I immediately got out of bed and shut off my alarm. 

Instinctively, my thumb glides over to the Instagram icon–– but I quickly reminded myself of the challenge: 24 hours of no social media. Instantly, I sit my phone down and prepare for the day at hand. 

Bus by 10ish.

Class at 10:45.

Come home and do what??? –– take a nap?

After getting ready for my day, I realized how much time I had to spare–– considering I didn't spend almost an additional hour in bed. So, I sat at my desk, logged onto Peacock, and tuned into Bel-Air as I do every Thursday, but not until I returned from class. 

Impulsively, I reach for my phone–– my thumb hovered over the Twitter icon–– where I post my reactions to each episode in a lengthy thread that I started over a year ago during Season 1 of the show. 

Crap! I am not on social media today! 

As tempted as I was to hop on Twitter throughout the episode, I was happy that I did not tweet every two seconds. It made the experience of watching the show far more enjoyable because I was not searching for the perfect meme or gif to tweet along with my thoughts. 

10ish. 

Each morning as I wait for the bus, I take a few pictures of myself to post on my Instagram story and catalog them under the "etudianté" story highlight on my profile–– but not today. 

Instead, I used my trusty iPhone camera (though I prefer Instagram's camera) and left my montage of photos in my camera roll. 

With at least ten minutes until the bus arrived, I looked around at my surroundings: a guy was walking down the street who looked to be having an intense phone conversation–– though I did not see a phone, perhaps he was wearing AirPods? The sun was barely out–– the new norm, as Southern California has officially morphed into Seattle, Washington. Cars drove by–– some speeding, others going at an appropriate speed, especially since they were driving through a residential area and not on a racetrack. It was a bit nippy outside, but luckily my hands were in my pockets since I was not scrolling on Twitter or Instagram. 

Ah, at last, the bus arrived! I said "good morning" to the bus driver and found the nearest non-occupied seat–– not in the back but not too far in the front. Throughout my short ride, random thoughts popped into my mind. I was itching to tweet them–– my Twitter bio: Welcome to my thinking chamber. *cues maniacal laughter*, but I resisted temptation. 

The rest of my day consisted of this–– me wanting to tweet or scroll on Instagram–– but it wasn't insufferable, and it was not something I had ever experienced before. 

In my time spent offline, I had a few epiphanies. For one, I have ample time before I leave each morning; I need to utilize that time far more wisely than I do. Secondly, Twitter has practically replaced my journal. It is far easier to tweet a quick thought than to sit and jot down whatever I am currently thinking about. Also, tweeting is lighthearted and something I view as fun, as opposed to the time I allocate to write in my journal, which I deem serious, meditative, and private. 

Lastly, though excessive use of social media is unhealthy, there are positive attributes to social media. By tweeting about the show I watch every Thursday, I can connect with people who are nowhere near me yet may have similar reactions and opinions. 

Posting a picture of myself on my Instastory is not rooted in vanity; it is a documentation of my journey in college. I am in my fourth semester at GCC, but this is the first semester I am attending classes on campus. I love being in person, and overall, the adjustment has been easy–– nonetheless, it is still a shift in a learning modality since enrolling in August 2021. When I reference these pictures, I see how eager and determined I am to learn–– despite any weather condition or how tired I may be. 

Additionally, I love to post new piano techniques that I learned in class that day for my 20 followers (comprising of friends and family) to view and also for me to acknowledge my growth since self-teaching in December 2022. 

Social media also supports my expression as I post my poetry on my Instagram account: @writtenbyenyje. Moreover, I use it as an additional resource (aside from the books I own) when learning about astrology. Best of all, I am open to a world of communication–– the driving force of my degree and one of my career paths. 

I live by the belief that "the key to life is balance." So, it is imperative to take a break from social media. In these 24 hours, I noticed shifts within myself. For instance, I felt mentally clear, which increased my concentration levels in class and while completing my online work. Most importantly, I actualized the amount of time I spend on social media. With this clarity, I am beginning to brainstorm different ways to occupy my free time.