A Year Untagged

I've debated this for quite some time now...why have I become so bewitched by social media? Why have we ALL become so transfixed on the follower count, amount of likes per post or whether or not to post that boomerang on our story?

This must sound strange coming from a journalist whose career revolves around social media right? Someone who has spent hours making sure her Instagram "stories" theme is at a happy balance of aesthetically pleasing while not being too over the top at the same time. Someone who has spent way too much time testing out new Snapchat filters or tracking trending hashtags on Twitter. Point is, I get it--it's totally weird that I of all people am bringing this topic up, but like I said, the thought has been surfacing my brain for a while.

That being said, I'm bringing a challenge to myself and I'm welcoming you all with me to join along the way, whether it be through similar action or just watching my journey. The challenge is to strip myself (kind of) from social media. By kind of, I mean I will be off the Instagram+Snapchat grid. I will continue to remain present on Twitter to market my blog posts and career tools (and to keep up with the entertainment in the world #BachelorMondays--hey it technically still is part of my job!), as well as Facebook to keep up with family members and circulating articles.

I think it's a perfect time, being the beginning of 2019 and all. Dare I say it? New year...new me? We'll see.. I'll just consider this a leave of absence or a timely hiatus for now. My goal is to live off these big sites/apps for the year of 2019--see what changes happen when I'm less focused on the opinions of others.

I bring up that idea because that has truly been the horrid epitome of social media--especially Instagram. We're constantly judging others and ourselves and the facade of a lifestyle we think others have and we don't based off a couple pictures or videos. "A picture is worth a thousand words"...and about a thousand perceptions and a few comments and presets in between.

I started to notice I have become too invested on others opinions of me and worse, I have started to compare myself to others and why I'm not good enough. I know we've all been there at some point when scrolling--we see a post and think "he/she is so lucky because of the new job they just landed/ the new car or house they just bought/moved into./ that vacation they were able to go on/ the weight loss they've had" etc..etc.. and then we start to think on how we don't have those things, how come we're not good enough or lucky enough or popular enough? Well I want to retract myself from those thoughts and the toxicity that social media tends to usher in our lives.

I am taking this year to change my mindset, my thought process, the way I view myself and others. I am taking this year to grow more as a person--to truly be apart of the world I'm living in--paying attention to what is in front of me, not in front of my lens.

I look forward to what this year and challenge will bring me, what I will learn and where I will be on January 9, 2020. I hope you'll all join me on this journey as I will try to post weekly blogs and keep my creativity and ideas on this platform. It's only getting started!

Light and Love,

Emmy J. E.