Media Fast

Oh, the infamous media fast. Wildly enough, I've done one of these before, but not intentionally. Last summer I traveled to Daytona, FL with Campus Outreach. We were not allowed to bring computers, my phone was internet-less, and we also did not have television in our rooms. Talk about a fast from media. I loved it, but I found this particular media fast much more tempting because I was still surrounded by my oh-so-loved media.

What did I miss most?

Facebook. I realized my automatic intentions to check facebook whenever I have some down time. Instead, I played guitar and watched television.

Poor planning on my part, I began to customize my tumblr (www.kelleysue.tumblr.com) the day before the fast, and had the strangest urge to keep perfecting its' look. So sad, so sad. I managed to fight the urge, but that was definitely the most tempting.

Where did I fall?

I may have forgotten to mention this little media fast to my mother. Big mistake.

She kept texting all morning, and I kept trying to put it off, but had to eventually respond to her before she reported me to a Missing Persons agency.

How did this influence me?

Social media plays a pretty major role in my life. Especially after taking the social media course, I'm very much interested in checking my Twitter for updates on the causes I'm following. I felt out of the loop. I felt bored, and the rainy weather surely didn't help. I cannot imagine not having cell phones and texting. We might have to actually take time to build real relationships again, and be selfless enough to set aside time to talk with someone over a regular phone. Heaven forbid, huh? Pretty convicting.

I know I can function without media, but it truly is a struggle when you've known a life filled with media your entire time on earth. I think I'm more drawn to social media in particular because of my interest in Public Relations and Non Profit Management, but I do believe it's something I should be able to function without. I love Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, et cetera, et cetera, but I wish I could remain somewhat old fashioned.

...I won't count on it.