To FB or not to FB

I'm self-imposing a break from social media and frivolous screen time in general. The other day I was asked, in a survey, if I check social media and email within five minutes of waking up (yes), before going to bed (yes), and how many times per day (5-10). When I thought about it, that sounded at best more than necessary, at worst like the beginnings of an addiction. I usually like seeing what friends are up to on Facebook, interesting topics my favourite authors are tweeting about and how many new emails I've got (since we hardly get real mail anymore).

But since the survey I've felt overwhelmed by the never-ending downward scroll of information and uncaring of the depersonalised communication. So instead of using my phone as a social media hub, ebook reader, games console, jute box, weather advisor and more, I'm going to go cold turkey back to the simpler days of having a phone that makes calls and sends texts, all the other stuff was added bonus features. I'm going to try going a week without checking in with social media (while trying not to think about the status updates and invites I might be missing or the huge accumulation of pointless information to scroll through, if I choose to, when I go back). I will read paper books, even lugging it onto the train, if I want to read there. I don't need to stare at a tiny screen playing games, I can enjoy people-watching or meditating on my journey to work. As for the music component, I may still listen to music on my phone because I don't stare at the screen for long while it's on. I will go back to looking out the window in the morning and guessing what I need to wear – I'm sure no great harm will come to me, even if it's hotter than I predicted or I get rained on without an umbrella.