As an experiment I quit Facebook for two weeks - deactivating my account so I don't show up on friend lists, have a newsfeed, etc. I realized I spent a lot of time on that website and I decided to leave it temporarily, just to see the effects it was having on my awareness and online habits.
After one day I noticed the just how much free time I had during my day (during certain lulls at work, on the bus, and at home). Previously all that time was spent randomly on Facebook scrolling down, sharing articles, and arguing with strangers online. I actually felt like I missed the opportunities to argue with people or to prove points. I resisted the temptation to just switch social media platforms to Reddit or Instagram.
After the first couple of days, this desire to check other social media platforms ended. I no longer wanted argue with strangers or just fill my free time with scrolling down mindlessly. During the first week I would browse the web, see an interesting article on SOTT, want to share it, and then remember that I wasn't on FB anymore. I ended up reaching out to friends of mine more often, since I could no longer just randomly jump on Facebook and see what people were doing that day. Interacting with friends online was a one-on-one communication again.
The biggest difference I noticed in my life without Facebook was how much control I had over the information that entered my senses. Back when I would just farm dopamine hits by scrolling down, I would get some humor, some SOTT, some other alt media posts, some inane virtue signalling in debate groups, etc. But while not being on social media, if I wanted to read about world events I would actually go to the relevant alt media webpages with the specific intent of obtaining information about world events. Absorbing information became a more active process for me when it wasn't done through the FB social media format. Even with being strict about who and what I choose to follow on Facebook, I still seem to remember getting bogged down in trivial things. From that perspective it feels like I'm taking more responsibility for gaining knowledge.
Since re-activating my account, I noticed I no longer had the active desire to debate and argue online with people who were incorrect about something. I felt like I simply do not have time for that kind of drama 9 times out of 10. Being off Facebook made me realize that it consumed a lot of my time and energy, and the payoff was only in the sense that it helped to train my own debating skills and knowledge collection.
I noticed that I also became much more reticent about sharing news and information I wasn't as certain about as I should be. I felt much more personal responsibility for the information I passed out to my followers on my news feed. Unless I was 110% sure I had the prior knowledge needed to defend my position, I wouldn't share something. Previously I was much more profligate, and that sometimes would get me in trouble; I would be criticized by friends or strangers taking umbrage but I wouldn't have enough knowledge to address their concerns.
I also am starting to become much more acutely aware of the "signalling games" that I can play online, and which I notice many other people interested in controversy and politics can engage in as well: signalling loyalties to this or that ideology, advertising their commitment to virtue (as they understand it), attempting to shift the Overton Window, etc. It doesn't mean that any of those things are immoral in themselves - it's more like I'm starting to see "political pitching" going on, where it's not really about sharing knowledge in an open and curious manner anymore but rather about influencing others so they can validate your worldview.
On the whole taking time away made me become much more conscious about how I was using the platform, how it was using me, and the ways it was impacting my knowledge gathering and the means by which I interacted with both friends and strangers online.
Have any of you taken time of major social media platforms? What was your own experience?
After one day I noticed the just how much free time I had during my day (during certain lulls at work, on the bus, and at home). Previously all that time was spent randomly on Facebook scrolling down, sharing articles, and arguing with strangers online. I actually felt like I missed the opportunities to argue with people or to prove points. I resisted the temptation to just switch social media platforms to Reddit or Instagram.
After the first couple of days, this desire to check other social media platforms ended. I no longer wanted argue with strangers or just fill my free time with scrolling down mindlessly. During the first week I would browse the web, see an interesting article on SOTT, want to share it, and then remember that I wasn't on FB anymore. I ended up reaching out to friends of mine more often, since I could no longer just randomly jump on Facebook and see what people were doing that day. Interacting with friends online was a one-on-one communication again.
The biggest difference I noticed in my life without Facebook was how much control I had over the information that entered my senses. Back when I would just farm dopamine hits by scrolling down, I would get some humor, some SOTT, some other alt media posts, some inane virtue signalling in debate groups, etc. But while not being on social media, if I wanted to read about world events I would actually go to the relevant alt media webpages with the specific intent of obtaining information about world events. Absorbing information became a more active process for me when it wasn't done through the FB social media format. Even with being strict about who and what I choose to follow on Facebook, I still seem to remember getting bogged down in trivial things. From that perspective it feels like I'm taking more responsibility for gaining knowledge.
Since re-activating my account, I noticed I no longer had the active desire to debate and argue online with people who were incorrect about something. I felt like I simply do not have time for that kind of drama 9 times out of 10. Being off Facebook made me realize that it consumed a lot of my time and energy, and the payoff was only in the sense that it helped to train my own debating skills and knowledge collection.
I noticed that I also became much more reticent about sharing news and information I wasn't as certain about as I should be. I felt much more personal responsibility for the information I passed out to my followers on my news feed. Unless I was 110% sure I had the prior knowledge needed to defend my position, I wouldn't share something. Previously I was much more profligate, and that sometimes would get me in trouble; I would be criticized by friends or strangers taking umbrage but I wouldn't have enough knowledge to address their concerns.
I also am starting to become much more acutely aware of the "signalling games" that I can play online, and which I notice many other people interested in controversy and politics can engage in as well: signalling loyalties to this or that ideology, advertising their commitment to virtue (as they understand it), attempting to shift the Overton Window, etc. It doesn't mean that any of those things are immoral in themselves - it's more like I'm starting to see "political pitching" going on, where it's not really about sharing knowledge in an open and curious manner anymore but rather about influencing others so they can validate your worldview.
On the whole taking time away made me become much more conscious about how I was using the platform, how it was using me, and the ways it was impacting my knowledge gathering and the means by which I interacted with both friends and strangers online.
Have any of you taken time of major social media platforms? What was your own experience?