Live Metanoia

So I know I have touched on the mind warp that is social media, but lately I feel as if I want to say goodbye to it all, or at least take steps into making things more simple.

I deleted my Facebook and Instagram apps from my phone. I’ve done this is the past, for a month or so, and then ended up downloading them again. I also deleted my Tiktok as well. That app I got rid of for good. Tiktok is like a black hole, where people get sucked into it and then let it rule their life. And my previous statement can be taken literally. People are constantly striving to make as many viral tiktoks as possible and become influencers. They need the approval of others to survive. Views, likes, comments, shares. It affects adults and children alike, and I don’t care who you are or what type of parents you think you are, or any of that. It literally affects your brain and worse, the brain of a child and teenager.

 It’s crazy when you really think about it. How we have become conditioned to need these apps in our everyday life. How we constantly check them on our phones and use them as entertainment. Really, think. How many times do you check your Facebook or Insta? In a day? In an hour? At work or at home with your loved one? At the dinner table?

I think often about how these apps have had access to my life. How I have posted pictures and written statements on Facebook for over ten years and this app has just collected everything. How I post pictures on Instagram and it tracks what I click on and what I view. How these apps learn who you are and then stores that information. And we have just freely given our privacy away.

It might not seem like a big deal to a lot of you. I mean, we really have become used to it all, and so many businesses run off of social media now, it has really infiltrated our lives.

But I ponder about if I just deleted it all for good. How hard would it be to live without it? Do I talk to the people on these apps in real life? You can’t cultivate friendships only through social media, contrary to popular belief. We as humans require in- person connection to function properly. So, if I don’t message or talk to these people in real life, why do I keep track of them on social media? Why do I need to let people know what I am thinking and who I am when I don’t even text them in general? Should I keep it for family I only see once or twice a year? What about those businesses that only use social media and don’t have a website? What about my friends who live in other states I try to keep up with?

I honestly feel torn at times. I think life would be a lot simpler and healthier if we didn’t have these things. Social media, smart phones, and smart watches. Yes, I said it. I think as great as technology is, we have let it become our clutch. A warped Skynet called Apple. Our phones track us. We don’t have privacy. Our data is taken and stored. And no matter what settlings you change in your phone, on some server, somewhere our information is there. For some, like I stated before it’s not a big deal. I mean medical records in doctors’ offices have our info and you can get a lot of information through the Open Records Act, but still. Why do we happily let other companies and powers have access to who we are and what we do, like, or say otherwise? Thinking about it frustrates me.

I have recently considered getting rid of my smart phone and smart watch. I mean do I really need to track my health? I was healthy and happy when I had a regular watch in high school and college, shoot in college I was in the best shape, doing the Insanity program and I actually had Abs then, hah. Does my Iwatch really make that much a difference when it comes to my health?

If I keep my Ipad mini and use it for social media and reading apps, I really wouldn’t need the apps on my smart phone. I would just need my phone for calls and text. Well that and the maps app- cause I don’t do directions well. So could I find a phone that didn’t track and save and store? What about that Freedom Phone Candice Owens has talked about? Is it as secure, and my privacy as private as it states, or are they cleverly lying to the public and using it as a political tool? What about music apps though? Does Spotify track my information?

Honestly I don’t know. I don’t really know what a happy median is for this. Do we just give ourselves over, or go cold turkey and buy the Nokia flip phone (known are the Brick) that has a battery life of forever? Will I need to buy a Garmin GPS for my car since I don’t know where places in Houston are? Will getting rid of the smart phone and watch actually make things more simple? Sometimes I think so. The consumption of stuff in our lives dwindles down significantly that’s for sure. We can focus on what really matters then when we aren’t staring at a screen or scrolling through someone’s feed.

Maybe I should try the apps for Ipad only trick for a while. Keep the maps, music and podcast app on my phone for that listening and learning aspect, but get rid of all the other noise.

Maybe some of you readers should try a detox as well. If you do, or maybe you have already made the leap to a gadget free life, let me know!

As I read and learn more about happiness and living more simply, I am finding there is a lot of things in life we have been told we need, that we really don’t. We are constantly being sold a lie that this next app or this next item will make life easier and you happier. But the truth is, we never truly are. We can only find happiness within ourselves.

-My journey continues

Kaycee