Re-affirming my Dislike for Social Media and Changes in Behaivor

So this essentially has been what my phone has been telling me a couple times a day since last Wednesday, the day I began my little strike against Facebook/ Twitter.  The urge to check my phone every 10 mns has subsided. I even avoided the temptation to end the ban early on Friday, as I was home sick from work; I decided to play Sims 3 most of the day instead.

I've come across two different things this week that kind of re-affirm why I am doing this:

Former Packers Cheerleader Fights Cyber-bullying: http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20130211/GPG0101/302110398/Former-Packers-cheerleader-Wonderful-support-anti-bullying-video

Why Facebook Makes You Feel Bad About Yourself: http://healthland.time.com/2013/01/24/why-facebook-makes-you-feel-bad-about-yourself/ 

UPDATE: The 2nd one is from Neff. I didn't give him credit. Those responsible have been sacked.

It's been humorous to think of how difficult this has been. I can't log into certain sites right now, as they're linked to my Facebook (Pinterest, for example), 4square has not been happy with me, and various other apps/ sites have become a nuisance without Twitter or Facebook.  They truly are rooted deep into everything we do, whether we like to admit it or not. I've kept in touch with a couple people via Google + and LinkedIn, but those two sites aren't a scratch compared to Twitter and Facebook.

A couple of people I know from the internet have been "keeping me up to date" with the happenings online.  I can't say, based on their reports, that I'm terribly eager to re-emerge on Wednesday.  I frankly don't miss the constant bickering on Twitter, or the 30 million pictures of whatever meme the masses are obsessed with or of your "adorable little offspring".  I don't long for the humble-brags, the "Why I'm better than you" posts, or the "woe is me, #firstworldproblems" updates.  I will fully admit to being guilty of some of these, but this time off has made me more aware of them. I also don't want to be a lazy friend, whom only knows whats up with you because of your Facebook status update about your mom being in town, or how that crazy girl you were dating finally stole your TV and left the tape of her screwing your roommate. I hope I continue to remember this lesson 6 months from now. :)

But, it's been amazing not having that leash.  I've also decided this will become an annual thing for me.  Obviously, I can't quit social media altogether; they're too valuable for sharing my writings and despite all the asshats out there, I've met some incredible people through Facebook and Twitter.  I'm looking forward to re-connecting with them. 

In conclusion...