I decided this year to honor the spirit of Lent by fasting from social media, specifically from Facebook, X/Twitter, and Instagram (I’m not really active on anything else). It’s been a fascinating experience, and I think a valuable one.
As far as specifically how I fasted – I didn’t delete the apps. I grouped them together in my phone and labeled the group “Fasting,” and moved it to its own page in my app library. Out of sight, out of mind, and I gave myself a couple of layers of reminders to stop myself from mindlessly returning out of habit in moments of boredom or inattention.
I also didn’t broadcast my fast ahead of time. I signed off of X with a quick pinned tweet explaining my silence, but that was it. I’m a small account and not an extremely active poster (my vice is more along the lines of doom scrolling and commenting…), so I presumed that I could more or less quietly duck out for a while without arousing much attention by my absence.
Getting Away from Social Media Was Easier Than I Expected
The act of moving the apps off of my radar and a bit farther out of reach was simple, and worked very well for me as far as the initial break of the mindless habit of “open and scroll.” I’m definitely that person who, in a moment of waiting, will bust out the phone. It surprised me how simple it was to say “no, I’m cracking a book or embracing the silence instead in this moment.” And I certainly found better, more useful and more relaxing and edifying ways to use time that otherwise would have been spent running down rabbit holes or crafting witty comments.
It Was Also Harder Than I Expected
As relatively easy (for the most part) as it was to stop the mindless distracting doomscrolling and keyboard-warrior agonizing that I was finding to cut into more productive and uplifting uses of my time, there were moments of difficulty. The fast was still a challenge.
I’d forgotten how, despite the ways that Facebook can absorb me in “righteous” indignation that detracts from what matters in life, it’s also the mechanism that I use for conveying and receiving information that really is important between real-life friends and family. When that system is the means of communication for life events, updates, and seeking real help or information, stepping away from it is crippling, in a sense.
And the last 40 days included a lot of family and friend news, both good and bad. For example, I confess, I broke my fast very briefly when I heard of a friend’s family tragedy – Facebook was the only way that I could track down the relevant obituary and memorial information. Another example, it felt too absolutely false to not log in and leave a congratulatory note to another dear friend’s unexpected and wonderful personal news, as I normally would. Alongside it’s more negative effects on my mindset and attention, Facebook in particular is the hub for family sharing. Totally ignoring what has become the customary means of sharing and acknowledging “big stuff” reminded me too much of “Christmas With The Kranks” in a way – some things you just don’t skip entirely; even if there’s a very fair critique to be made of what’s actually important about them.
Information Sourcing Shift
One of the most immediate things that I noticed, away from SM commentary on it, was the shift in how I received my everyday news updates. Instead of what was trending or what was shared by sources that I’d collected and organically curated over time, my news headlines started coming from more “legacy media” sources via the default browser homepage.
That was a bit of a culture shock, and quite the reminder of something that I learned long ago – reading the headline is not enough. This fast has reinforced my concern for the state of legacy journalism. It was a rare treat to discover a reasonable headline reflective of the actual content of the article, or even of what actually occurred. There are obvious pitfalls to watch for with social media “news,” but the “non social media” coverage of events during the past 40 days was of shockingly poor quality and obviously agenda driven. I’m not sorry to be back on platforms where I at least see contrary biases, if not reasonable coverage and commentary on current events.
Prompted by that sense of culture shock, I also did serious some reflection. It felt worth the asking to find out if the sensation was only due to encountering differing (sometimes radically) perspectives. Have I been living in an echo chamber, as far as my news and current events commentary consumption? Maybe there’s an argument there, although on SM I do purposely follow many accounts with whom I often disagree. But the sheer volume of “news” that was clearly written to influence my opinion more than to apprise me of happenings in the world was unavoidable.
Letter or Spirit? Has All Media Become Social?
I also found myself drifting toward other venues than those that I’d purposely set away that arguably are also social media. I did not include Pinterest in my fast… I’ve spent more time there than in recent memory. To some credit, I’ve also made a couple of projects and applied some of those ideas to the real world. I’ve never been much of a commenter on that platform, and didn’t start. But mightn’t that have been a break in the fast?
Similarly, I’ve found myself in the comment sections of YouTube videos, and of news stories, giving my 2 cents in a decidedly “social media” sense. Far, far less than I would have if I’d been on the more obvious SM venues, but is all media now at least partially social? Maybe my attachment to this way of using the Internet is deeper than I thought.
Fruit of Reclaimed Time
So, what about all of the time that I didn’t spend agonizing about the latest online debate, about creating the perfect “zinger,” or crafting an elegant argument or rebuttal to some stranger on the Internet?
Most applicable to why you are here, perhaps, has been the editing progress that I’ve made. I’ve been working through the Story Grid system. I’ve been imperfect with that process, but even so, the Story Grid has highlighted some key places for improving my story that I’ve been able to get into. There’s been good progress on that front, fresh words and positive changes. I’ve also been able to get some blog writing done and a couple of articles finished and published with this “extra” time.
On the less writerly front, it’s been rather a busy Lenten season. There have been new additions on the farm, new projects undertaken, and ongoing projects continued. There’s even been a bit of light traveling. With springtime properly coming on, there is also more than ever to keep busy with, from productive tasks that will (hopefully) result in a better-stocked pantry and freezer by harvest time, to fun projects like bringing my horses back into work and getting my landscaping de-winterized. All meaningful stuff that got an increase in both the quality and quantity of my attention without competition from social media.
When Will I Step Away from Social Media Again?
Short answer: I’m not sure! I feel like I have some catching up to do, especially related to family and friend news shared via Facebook. And I will probably choose something different to fast from next Lent, unless I really feel that social media is hanging on my heart.
I’m more strongly considering doing more frequent social media fasts of much shorter duration – say, one day each week with my phone on “dumb” mode, or a more general life rule of no SM before lunchtime on any day, to check myself and how connected I actually am to the non-SM world and what matters.
As beneficial as this fast was, as far as keeping up with legitimate family and friend happenings it was not just difficult to be away from Facebook in particular – it felt false not to be there when that was where people who I care about were communicating some of the greatest joys and pains that life brings. Like any other tool, social media’s usage matters when defining whether it’s a vice (vise? Tool homonym humor here for the taking…) or not.
If you enjoyed this reflection on social media, it’s role in life, and the challenge of fasting from it for 40 days, you may also appreciate my contemplation on the division (and common ground) between content and art, how writing as a hobby or a vocation can cross and connect the two, and how to prioritize which one you want to make more of. You can check it out here.
Until next time, may the muse (and not necessarily the notifications!) be with you!
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