Mashable recently posted an article, Can You Survive Without Social Media for Two Weeks? - which challenged users to embark on what seems to be a harrowing experiment:
"in order to see how fully social media has been ingrained in our lives, we want to test your resolve. We propose a challenge: Who can survive without social media for two weeks? This means you can't update your status, send a tweet, +1 a post or "check in" to a restaurant. For two weeks you will only be able to engage with few online resources."
I'm sure the results will prove fascinating - but there is no &^%&^ way I'm taking part! Call me an addict if you'd like, but I don't think I'm alone in believing the whole exercise to be, in my world at least, totally impractical. I'm not an obsessive user of any particular site, but I use many of them on a regular basis.
And no, my hand isn't shaking uncontrollably at the mere thought (but does trembling count?) .
I don't "check in" anywhere, for the most part, so I wouldn't miss that sort of thing - but actions like posting blogs, uploading videos, are all forbidden. Chatting isn't allowed. Commenting on a YouTube video or a Facebook isn't allowed. Interacting through social media is simply banned.
The fact is, it's simply not practical. Social Media has become an integral part of the way I live my life - it's not only an efficient way of how I interact with friends (off and online), but it's an important part of my own personal (and constantly developing) business strategy. I can't give up social media for two weeks any more than I can give up my cell phone or email or simply leaving my home.
That doesn't mean I wouldn't disconnect (mostly) if I went on vacation, but at the moment, I'm workin' .
I look forward to the article - but I'm happy right here on the grid, thank you!