Analog Girl…

So I recently took a break from social media. I also attempted to take a break or at least cut back

exponentially on my cell phone usage. That second attempt didn’t really go as planned but attempt #1 was awesome. I’m not the type to announce a social media hiatus. I’m more the type to laugh or even scoff at the fact that there are social media hiatuses to be taken and that they may require announcing. See, I am still an analog girl trapped in a digital world. Everyone who rocked hard to “Mama’s Gun” about 14 years ago knows exactly what I’m speaking of. I felt I identified with Erykah’s phrase back then but I feel it now more than ever. We’ve become soooo digital and sorry, I am quite the opposite of a techie. If we could take it back to the technology of somewhere between 1989-1993 I’d be just fine. So Erykah, while I love this phrase you coined, I am inclined to believe that as the years have gone by it probably applies to me more than you. I am slightly upset that I didn’t come up with it myself. But I thank you for it and now I will attempt to convey the depths of my struggles with social media and technology at large.

My social media usage has dwindled considerably for quite some time now. Most people don’t know it but I’m somewhat of a loner. Social media begins to feel crowded and suffocating to me. The thought of sharing my every move and mood with the world can be very unsettling to me. But then I have those days, possibly even weeks in which I’m like---“Heeeey, here’s what I’m doing!”  But as of late you would 

mostly find me posting about productive and positive events then I would retreat. 3,000 plus people. Whew, I can’t.  Yet, here lies the real problem. My thumb began to develop a mind of its own. I would find myself checking these various social media apps on my phone even when I didn’t want to. It became habitual. Oh, I'm not using my hands at the moment. Let me check Facebook. This was occurring way too often. My mind needed a break and so did my thumb.

Why ’89-‘93? Well, people tended to focus more on one thing/person at a time back then.

Conversations consisted of the humans involved
not the humans and their devices and their hundreds or thousands of followers. No texts. We were treated with the actual voices of family, friends, colleagues and persons of interest and there was more direct eye contact! Today it seems many of these p.o.i’s don’t even know what it means to hold an undistracted face to face conversation or even to pick up a phone. Le sigh. There’s no anticipation and there’s way too much availability. I remember going home to check the answering machine or caller ID to see if “he” called. Remember wondering if someone was at home? No need to wonder now. Everyone is accessible at ALL times in about five different ways. I’m sorry but sometimes I need to be obscure…

But I am not fully against technology and social media. They definitely have their positives. I have met some wonderful people whom I would have never known existed had their never been social media. I’ve had the pleasure of reading the thoughts of some brilliant and creative minds and conversing with some artists I truly admired as a youth. I am able to share what I deem to be important with a large amount of people and I am able to stay connected with the people I love. It definitely comes with a price but those are beautiful things.

If you have chosen to keep up with me throughout the years, first I would like to say—THANK YOU! I appreciate you and you are in the technology category that I love. Second, I must warn you that I may retreat again, briefly, at various times but I was advised that I should do the announcement thing. I respect that. It's nice to discover you were missed. So, I’m back now and happy to catch up with all the beautiful ones. Pleeeease tune in to weekly posts on cleverspeaks.com and look out for me in other publications as well. In addition to getting lost in some good music, doing some photo shoots, taking self-inventory and laughing a lot, I did a lot of writing. I learned to respect the power of the written word while I was gone so I will be much more consistent.

Again, I’m glad to be back but I do hope that we all take inventory on this social media phenomenon. We have to be cautious of what we share of ourselves. We have to be mindful of what we allow into our minds and what we put out for the minds of others. If our children or any youth follow us we must consider that and we most certainly have to be proactive in the social media usage and consumption of our youth. Finally, we must also consider who or what is behind the scenes of this mechanism. Anything that can compile your thoughts/posts from five years and serve it up in a cute little video collage gives me pause. It’s difficult because it’s definitely a way to get much accomplished, but again, at what cost? Just be mindful and stay 1,000 steps ahead.

Well, I’m about to go look through my old photo albums with the sticky pages then make a call on my yellow rotary phone. There’s a voice I really want to hear. I’ll catch you later my loves. #ImBack