Honestly I did not realise how difficult it would be to get back to my “virtual” life!
I’ve been off Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for over 3 weeks now. Yes it was intentional- to give myself some space, some room to breathe, some time to think, some thoughts to reflect upon – without having the compulsive desire to let my “friends” know what I’m upto or how I’m “feeling!” Some quiet time just for myself without waiting for anyone’s “approval” “likes” or comments. It’s amazing how when I first landed on Facebook – 5 years ago, I was amazed with how much people shared of their personal lives – children’s photos, hobbies, romantic evenings too! I would smile and just keep browsing, confident that I would NEVER do something like that! I mean who had the time, first to click pics, then to upload, then to actually write something about them and why would anyone be interested in knowing about all those silly details of my life? All that changed as soon as I wrote my first post…
It’s mind-boggling how social media catches up with you, works on your emotions, leads you through different kinds of moods, gives you a sense of importance, makes you feel so good about yourself. Give it a few days, maybe just a couple of weeks and lo behold – you have a brand new and sometimes even a very different life created out there! “Virtual” it maybe, this new life becomes an important part of you. With your new as well as old friends —people who you’ve known for ages, people you hang around with and also people you’ve never met, not even once, form a rapidly growing list of your ‘Facebook Friends!’
And it only grows and grows! With one, then two, then three different Business pages – Facebook surely has a way of keeping us glued! All the spare time used in building those Pages, creating those posts and sharing those photos, worked wonders for my business. Now I had people – absolute strangers, “liking” my Page, talking to me, complimenting me and sharing my posts with their friends! Not to mention all those wonderful ‘Groups’ that I joined! Some related to my personal interests and some to my business interests. It was a wonderful feeling being acknowledged out, helpful to receive handy tips at the click of a button, share reviews and receive feedback on everything under the sun, so much so that I stopped using Google as my search engine! I had ‘Facebook Groups’ instead!
Till one day I just didn’t know what to write. I had a big personal commitment to see through, a considerable amount of pressure on my time and energy and writing on social media just didn’t seem important or necessary. One day became two, then three, then ten. The more I waited, the less I felt like writing. Even when I made an attempt, I just didn’t know what to write! Yes, it does sound strange even to my own ears, an active social media person who can’t think of a single line to write! Friends called, acquaintances messaged, I got an insane number of texts on FB Messenger! People were noticing my absence, well at least my “virtual” absence, which both surprised and delighted me at the same time…but I still couldn’t post! And then I thought if we bloggers can suffer from the ‘Writer’s Block’ and can’t write for months, why can’t Facebook users suffer from the same?
I don’t know how to end this post except that just like all my other blog posts, writing this one too has helped me feel a little bit better, made my mood a little bit lighter and the task at hand a little bit easier…who knows I may be able to send out an FB post today itself! 🙂
How did you start on Facebook? How often do you post? Do you also use it for Business? Would love to hear your stories and comments!
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