Goodbye, Social Media - I am going to live a Real Life

14 Jun 2014

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When was the last time, I spoke to the rose plants while watering them in the morning?

When was the last time, I read a book aloud on the terrace, while the early morning sunlight rejuvenated my uncovered body?

When was the last time, I climbed, jumped, hugged, kissed a big tree?

When was the last time, I sauntered in the rain, enjoying the chillness without having to worry about the smartphone?

When was the last time, we parked our bicycles on the roadside and chatted with friends for hours?

When was the last time, we simply gathered and played Cricket, Kabadi, Wall-Tennis all weekend?

When was the last time, we went to the beach, enjoyed playing with the waves, without taking a picture?

When was the last time, I went to a library and spent the whole day reading?

When was the last time, I coded throughout the night, without checking the social media?

When was the last time, I wrote a poem in Tamil while enjoying the conversation with the moon?

When was the last time, I reread the same book because it was too good?

When was the last time, I simply enjoyed solitude and stillness in my life?

and many more …

I lived that life !!!

Now,

I don’t remember my closest school friend’s kid’s name, but I know my senior manager’s dog’s name.

I don’t remember my cousin’s birthday, but I know the birthday of a random person I met in Las Vegas.

I don’t remember how many were in my college gang, but I know 1000+ friends on facebook.

Life Has Changed.

When I pause and look back at my life, I remember only the events that made me truly happy from inside. Not the money I earned, the house I bought, the cars I drove, the friends in facebook or the followers on twitter.

In this finite life, why should I waste my time doing things which do not matter in the end?.

I am going after those precious little experiences which will make me smile in my death bed.

I am erasing my presence in the digital world and embracing the real world for every need of mine.

I am making a big decision to stay small, deliberately.

Why do I blame Social Media?

I have strong opinions about everything. I can’t resist myself from exciting conversations. Once triggered, I am a mad bull, trying to get everyone to accept my point of view (right or wrong - who cares). I am merely eliminating the distractions from my life one by one, starting with social media.

Focus is nothing more than eliminating distractions

Why can’t I reduce the time spent on Social Media?

There is an insatiable urge to share every little event in my life. When I go to a new place, my first thought is, “Wow. Nice Place. Post the picture on facebook”. When I start any activity, there is a voice in my head that tells me to share it on Facebook immediately. It does not stop with sharing. After I shared something special, I keep looking for the “likes” & “comments” from my friends. The more “likes” I get, the happier I am. If I don’t get likes for something close to my heart, that triggers confusion in my mind.

Yes. I want to be “liked.” Like every other human being. But the cost that I pay in the real world to get “likes” in a virtual world does not match up. Restricting the time on Social Network did not help to control the urge.

I don’t like the “need” to be heard by others.

What would I lose?

A lot of contacts - A quick look at my digital presence surprised me. I am on 20+ social networks. It took me close to an hour to delete my data from those websites. Here is a snapshot of the major players.

  1. Facebook (Friends - 1055, Duration - 5 years, 10 months, 23 days)
  2. Twitter (Followers - 808, Duration - 5 years, 2 months, 16 days)
  3. Google+ (Followers - 224, Duration - 2 years, 11 months, 16 days)

Losing contacts does not mean losing friends. I am merely severing one of the communication channels.

Quick turn-around for getting information - As soon as I post a question or ask for help, I get the answers in my wall or inbox. Thanks to all my friends.

Intellectual Debates - Facebook helped me to get into intellectual discussions with my friends on various topics - science, religion, politics, reservations, women rights, relationships, etc. I get a fresh and diverse perspective on each of the issues. I also came to know more about my friends, their beliefs, their political views, etc. Every discussion made me a little wiser.

A lot of memories - Facebook is the repository of all significant life events in the past years. There are times when I have nothing else to do, I simply go back to my timeline or friends timeline’s to look at the memorable events. Thus, spending more time on Social Media. Now, all my personal data would live on a local hard disk.

A platform to showcase my creation - I made a lot of friends and followers in social media, over the years. My friends are my best critics, who helped me to groom my writing over the years. Thanks to all my friends for all the constructive feedback.

What will I gain?

  1. Quality time with family and friends.
  2. One less distraction from life.
  3. Privacy of my personal data.

Will I be ultimately out of the digital world?

No. I love writing. I will continue to blog at the below websites. You can subscribe to these blogs if you find them useful.

  1. smileprem
  2. கனவு
  3. Raw Vegan Recipes - I deleted the website. I am no longer a raw vegan. I would suggest, doing the opposite. Follow a Paleo lifestyle.

I will also retain my LinkedIn account for my professional growth.

What happens to the facebook groups?

I don’t know. I treasure the association with the below groups. I need to talk to the admin and establish other means to get only the most essential information from the group. Let’s see how that unfolds for me.

  1. Live Your Legend
  2. Bangalore Runners

When will I erase my digital presence?

I am planning to delete all my social media accounts by June 16th, 2014, 23:00 to 23:59 IST. This time is needed to back up the data, handover the admin responsibilities, establishing alternate login methods for the websites with social media OAuth logins, allowing friends to download any of their tagged pictures, etc.

Will I come back to the digital world?

I don’t know. Maybe. But, not until the end of the year 2014.

How can I be contacted?

I will be available via the contact form on this website. If you know me personally, you would already have my mobile number. Just call me :)

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