Social Media, Internet Addiction, and Screen Time
A week ago, I signed into Facebook for the last time. After a quick glance at my timeline and blog page, I headed to the settings so that I could delete my account.
The deletion link was accompanied by some words of warning. Had I considered how important social media is? How will I connect with the people who are most important to me without the aid of Facebook? You see, social media is an essential part of modern life.
The warning didn’t slow me down. I know exactly how I’m going to connect with the most important people in my life. I’m going to look them in the eye. I’ll listen to their words as they share their thoughts and ideas and dreams. I’ll wrap my arms around them, as I breathe in all the joy of being a wife and mother. Without Facebook, I’m going to live a more focused offline life.
In this week’s podcast, I tell the story of how I’m disentangling myself from the Internet and taking back control of my life.
In episode 105, I’m pondering:
Real life: Is my offline life being affected by my online activities?
Facebook: Do we need to be on social media?
The Internet: Is it addictive? Why do many adults have trouble using it in a sensible way? Does the Internet fulfil needs we’re not really aware of?
Deep Work: Does the Internet affect our ability to concentrate and do valuable work?
Our children: Do we worry about our kids spending lots of time online because of our own experiences? Will all our kids be able to handle unlimited access to the Internet?
I also share some news of a new series of Facebook Livestreamed videos that might be of interest to parents and teenage girls.
Show Notes
Book
Deep Work by Cal Newport
Podcast
Episode 87: The Catholic Radical Unschool Cheese and Other Stories
Girls’ Issues and Interests: Live Streamed Videos
Imogen’s Facebook Page
If you’d like to know when we’ll be live streaming on Facebook, please ‘like’ Imogen’s page so you’ll hear all the latest news.
Interesting Articles about the Internet and Related Issues
What is ‘Brain Hacking’? Tech Insiders on Why You Should Care
Elon Musk Launches Neuralink, a Venture to Merge the Human Brain with AI
Are We Going to Allow Smartphones to Destroy a Generation?
The Web Shatters Focus, Rewires Brains
Podcast Music
Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
There are both advantages and disadvantages to being on Facebook. For you, do the negatives outweigh the positives? Or is it the other way around? And are you interested in discussing issues that affect our teenage and young adult daughters? Will you tune into our FB live streamed videos?