What constitutes plugged in?
Why “plug in”at all?
Years ago, I was everywhere. Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, blogging, Twitter.
Constant email checking, newsletters, magazine subscriptions, trade groups. Self promotion for business meant being everywhere.
My perspective has changed. Social media companies would like you to think all this input matters. In fact all American media companies would like you to be fully engrossed in the consumption of their product. It does matter- to them.
The hours of the day are limited. What would you rather be doing right now? Perhaps you should close this browser and go do that.
I rarely use social media now but for this blog. I have a social media account. I don’t post, except to help others with a brief trail report on hikes. I do not post selfies or engage in comment sections.
Anonymity… is like a warm blanket
-Max , Mission Impossible (movie)
I check email in the morning and a read for just a short time each day. I read local news on the weekends. I have abstained from America’s national media circus. News is a business. Like Facebook, the idea is to write provocative headlines and stories to get your eyes on the website. I’ve been known to write a teaser excerpt myself. My writing is for fun, and to share experiences and an idea or two. I post no ads, ask for no donations.
Unplugging? For me it’s less internet, less email. Less consumption.
Try this: Skip the TV tonight. Turn off the radio on your commute tomorrow. Delete the social media app on your phone. Turn off your phone tonight. Silence it for your walk tomorrow. For that brief time until you return, you will find little has changed. The Earth continues to circle the sun.
An Unmapped Route: A Hiker's Blog 