Out of 1 Million... 110,000
That’s how much of my marital* happiness I am giving to the Insta and the Fb. (“The Opt-Out Family” by Erin Loechner) *feeling in my gut that it’s all happiness.
If I started with 1,000,000 happiness and it compounds 10% on average year over year, that means that I am actually losing 1% of my happiness before it’s even spent. So basically after 17 years of losing myself to scrolling on meta, my base happiness is less than what it was 17 years ago.
That’s literally everything I need to know.
I absolutely need that 11% of happiness that social media is stealing from me.
I deleted my Instagram, Twitter (X), and one of my Facebook accounts. I’m planning to migrate my YouTube to another platform (tbd).
I’ll still be on Tumblr because I love writing and sharing and at least with Tumblr there is an “end” to the amount of scrolling (unlike ig/fb/yt).
I will probably go back onto one of my Instagram acc’s because I’m realizing that I want to keep some of the captions I made for some of the pictures and transfer that to an actual photo album. Then delete.
I’ve also been turning off my phone unless I absolutely need it for something.
It’s by my computer - where it should be.
I’d like to eventually go down to a dumb phone.
Things that I’m realizing make me dependent on a smartphone still:
Authentication App - I can probably get this on my computer somehow. But this is one thing I didn’t think of.
Google maps - I would probably want to get a GPS put in my car at some point. Not that I need need it, but it is a lot safer to drive with a GPS than trying to look at anything else (even mapquest printouts).
Things that I’m realizing about not having a literal computer in my pocket or ON while roaming the house/life:
Dependency on Tech and Info - I feel like having so much info and tech available ALL THE TIME is not this amazing thing we think it is. I remember moving to another country and I didn’t have Internet for those first few weeks and while it was tough, I would chose that over getting a SIM card right away - if at all. I also remember, in that same country, bussing to the cit every weekend, turning off my phone, and wandering around for the whole day. It was lovely.
Desire to connect with others - since I’m off the Insta, I’ve also realized how much I long to just sit and catch up with others. Show me your pictures, share your stories, laugh with me, be real.
Making time for what matters - Yes, I don’t have access to my phone during nap-times (the time I was using to post here). I actually snuck away and am listening carefully for when my baby wakes up. Writing is important to me. So important that I’ll risk waking up my baby to do it.
I’ve begun to notice this about other things as well.
…Studying Japanese, for example, I used to do on an App. Now, I’m reading through a book I bought back in Japan. It’s MUCH slower than learning on an app. Maybe… maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be?
…Learning to photo edit and scrapbooking. It’s so much easier with an app!! Then, have I actually learned to photo-edit or apply a filter?
…Sharing things with others. Again, so much easier with an app! Then, have I actually learned to share with others in a way that builds connection?
That’s all my ranting about tech today.
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