TL;DR I’m doing just fine, ya’ll. I hope you are too.

The long, meandering update you didn’t ask for:

Over three months ago I decided to take a major step back from Facebook and Instagram. I had already deleted TikTok on a few data privacy principles, how its algorithm works (answer: sinisterly) and the way it manipulated my brain. I had watched and listened to Bo Burnham’s “Inside” a couple times and it’s not only one of the most creative films I’ve seen in many years, but it’s also a bit of a shelter-in-place time capsule. Sprinkled within is a warning call to society and I resonated with a number of his spot-on critiques of our hyper-connected culture.

I then stumbled across Cal Newport’s “Digital Minimalism” and Jaron Lenier’s “10 Reasons to Delete Your Social Media Accounts.” The scale tipped for me and for over 90 days I’ve only popped onto FB and IG for work, to see what Becka posts, and occasionally poke my head around.

The first month was a strange readjusting. I remember thinking “But how will I know what’s going on in people’s lives?” I quickly answered myself with another question: “Why don’t you just ask them?”

The second month was full of moments of remembering what boredom felt like, and my baseline level of stress went down. Month three codified that I’ll be steering clear of doom-scrolling apps for the foreseeable future.

I’m in my senior year of seminary, working a job I love, and raising a family. I hope to keep finding times for fun, rest, and friendship. (Some of them are pictured below)

Anyways, I’m still around, just not really in the digital spaces I used to haunt but no longer haunt me. This will be where I'll likely be posting like it's 2003 again. Otherwise, shoot me a message sometime on FB and I’ll ask you what’s been going on in your life!








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