Eventually “out”…

http://www.providermodule.com

Hello everyone… How are you? I hope you’re all doing fine.
I just had a look at my blog, and noticed that within the last 3.5 months I posted only 2 writings. Even my last post was a while ago. So, this one is some kind of “bridging narratives” before proceeding to my delayed story project, Flashback, which its last episode was #43 (Kembali ke titik awal..), when some time in 2012 my husband and I started a new life in the old place of Sangatta, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Next episodes are coming up… And big thanks to anyone who read my writings even when I didn’t post anything new in a long time. I really appreciate that!
And as previously informed to a few of my fellow bloggers, I’ve been busy in the real world. I tried to finish at least one writing, but nothing happened. I was too tired to write even just one paragraph. So I gave up writing, at least for a while. However, I knew I would return to blogging, one day.. And I guess today is the day. So, what’s the highlight of this period of time?
Months ago when I had my 40th birthday, I thought of having it mentioned on the D day in all the social media accounts that I had, just because it was the 40th. This might not sound unusual for some people, especially if the account is very actively used. However, to me, it is unusual.
First of all, I’m not into such things called birthday or anniversary. I just don’t understand why it needs to be mentioned and, in some cases, celebrated too. To me, birthday or anniversary is just another day. There…, I said it. This thought sometimes gives me hard times too, as some people might see me as a NON romantic/warm/thoughtful person. Oh, well.. Nevertheless, I’m not against the people who think that it matters..
Second, the main reason I got into social media is the love of traveling/wandering/exploring. I like reading other people’s journey, and I like sharing mine too. Sharing something like birthday or any other things outside traveling/wandering/exploring feels a bit odd to me. That’s probably why I rarely did it.
Anyway, weeks before my birthday, I started being more frequently active on Facebook and Path, just to have a look at what had been going on around my circle of listed friends there. And the more I went through it, the more uncomfortable I felt about social media recent role and function, particularly on these two I was looking at. I found the impression that oversharing was sadly considered “natural” behaviour by most of my active listed friends, as if it was how you were supposed to act online. Few examples of this extremity were when one constantly posted only photos of herself, mostly selfies, several times in a day, every single day. Then a guy and his then fiancee shared some private and personal exchanges every now and then, performed PDA (public display affection) in words, every single day. The next one documented and posted just about everything she did from the moment she woke up to the moment when she went to sleep again, every single day. And last but not least, one guy just had twin baby boys (which I congratulated on), but then posted his twins’ photos almost every hour, every single day. Oh.., and let’s not forget about the heated debates on political candidates, favourite celebs, or other (nonsense) stuffs.
So, what did I do next? I unfollowed those in the oversharing category. Then after awhile I revisited their pages, and found some had gotten back to normal sharing, so I re-followed them. And some were still in this oversharing category, so I unfriended these ones. But then I thought to myself, I probably had unfairly judged these people. And my consciousness said: Emmy, you should’ve started this with the woman in the mirror! Yourself!
Oh dear… What was I thinking..? So, I went through all my past posts on Facebook, Path, and Instagram. Somehow I didn’t see WordPress (blogging) the same way I saw the other three, so I didn’t recheck my WP account. And the verdict was… Well, I didn’t think I was in the oversharing category (I know it’s a subjective measure). However, there were certain period of times when I intensely posted things, mainly travel related. I mean, who knows.., someone might feel sick of me posting things like..: “Oh.., how amazing it is.., enjoying a yummy croissant on the summit of the Eiffel Tower..” Or..: “I’m getting inside of one of the Giza pyramids now.. See if the ghost of pharaoh is still there..” Or maybe this one: “Nothing can beat enjoying some Colombian coffee while flying 32,000 feet above the Chilean Andes Mountains..”
That was when I decided to delete the accounts: Facebook and Path. I just felt that I had too many social media accounts that gave me wider access to “showing-off”, even possible and potential oversharing. I decided that my Instagram account is enough for occasional photos ‘show-off’, and my WP account should be good for article type post which accommodates my journey notes just right.
So, instead mentioning my 40th birthday on Facebook and Path (as planned before), I ended up deleting both accounts, days before my birthday.. And if you read my social media related post long ago called “The F warning: Once in, never out”, I should say that I got eventually OUT…(of Facebook and Path).

http://www.allthingsd.com

Anyone feel the same about the recent social media frenzy..? Please share..
Thanks for reading..