Last year, I said goodbye to social media intermittently for several months, and I’ve been feeling that urge to step away again.
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
After reading Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism, I realized just how toxic social media is to my creative spirit. In the book, he calls readers to do a 30-day social media detox. So, I did it, and it felt like a load had been lifted. I continued to take short spurts of time away from my social accounts for most of the latter part of the year.
Yet, despite my best intentions, my time spent on social media kept creeping upward, and the icky feelings I’d felt before began to sneak up again. I realized this week it was time to try this again. Only this time, I will gauge what happens to see if it’d be possible to step away for good.
What I Still Plan to Use
For a little over 90 days, I will only use sites where I create. For example, I’ll continue to write journal articles here, continue posting podcast episodes, and share YouTube videos. My posts here are set up to be on auto-share, so it may seem that I’m on social even when I’m not.
Still, though, I’m hoping to build my community in a much more authentic way—with only people who are genuinely interested in the things I share. I’ll be using the Fabled Discord channel and my newsletter for this.
I hope to host some smaller video chats, maybe a watch party or two—anything to engage in a more genuine form of communication.
The Experiment
Last year, I was feeling extremely burnout, so I needed rest more than anything. This year, I feel a lot different. There’s a sense of rejuvenation and excitement surrounding the topics I’m researching and the overall direction my life is going.
My intuition tells me that I’ll find greater joy in creating if I step away from all the noise.
In January, I had this idea: What if I took a whole year off social media? But as a content creator, stepping away causes some fears to arise. Will I lose my audience? Will people forget about me? Will my readership/listenership suffer if I’m not online as much?
And I chickened out on my year-long experiment. I wish I hadn’t, but here we are.
To gauge the results of the experiment, I’ve documented all of my numbers—followers/readers/listeners. My primary concern isn’t followers, but I’ve included them just to see how that changes and if those changes even matter. My primary concern is losing readers here on the website or listeners for the podcast because they are my true tribe. I’m so grateful for them, and to lose them would deeply sadden me.
But I have a feeling that won’t happen. Not if I continue to produce content (of which I have so much to share in the coming months).
So, I’m taking a deep breath. Deleting all the social media apps from my phone and am saying goodbye for the time being. Who knows? Maybe even forever.
If you’d like to be a part of the small Fabled community on Discord, you’re welcome to join here. Or, if you’d rather get an occasional email about what’s new, you can sign up here.
I’ll share an update in September when the experiment is over.
Much love, V
