Lent happens every year, and I’ve never participated in it before unless you count peeling a pancake off the ceiling with a spatula or feeling sick from easter egg overload and if you did, i’d worry about you to be honest. Well anyway, the idea is that you give up something that would be a real ‘loss’ to you, Now you all know I like to set myself challenges from time to time, and this one hit me mid annual pancake practice, (no, not the pancake) What if I gave up my personal Social Media?  I use Twitter and Facebook on a daily basis so this will be a real loss to me. Without a doubt it would be a struggle and that very thought made me want to do it even more.  The fact I will not be able to tell you all what i’m doing will be tough.  I have visions of me spraying graffiti over the walls just to get my status posting obsession out of me, and don’t stand still near me, I might write on you! I’ll be upfront and say I doubt I will last the whole 40 days, my friends don’t believe me either, so many have had a good chuckle, but I think I can manage a considerable time *cries*

I won’t be able to have a total Social Media black out as I will need to use Twitter for work, though i’ll go easy on my updates. But I will stop my foursquare checkins, and  *takes deep breath* I have already de-activated my account on Facebook.

I know, I know..

Pressing the button to de-activate was a tough decision. And Facebook do not just let you run off either, they make you confirm about a 100 times that you do really want to leave, I almost expected my doorbell to ring and a Nurse to come and take my temperature or a call from a Doctor, “We just heard, are you okay, do you want to come in or shall we send someone out to you?” (to person in background) “it’s Karlie, code red, she’s de-activated her Facebook”  Cue noisy sirens! Then just when you think you’ve done it, they pull up pictures of five random friends with individual taglines saying they would miss you. I felt like a soldier leaving my children for a 6 month tour of duty in Afghanistan. (Well almost like that.)

I nearly wavered, what if Edinburgh Cabs did miss me? I mean I never used them and only have them as a friend as my friend was running the account, but what IF? Would their world be a little grayer if I wasn’t in it? If they never got my updates on the great weekend I was having, or what should I say to the Dalai Lama when I meet him?*  Could I leave it to chance? Should I? When I decided I could and should, Facebook changed. Suddenly it turned into the scorned lover, Okay, it said, you heartless bitch, you can go, but just before you do, tell us WHY? You OWE us that! It said bitterly, I almost felt the spit on my cheek!. It then ran through my options, was I too noisy? Did I send you too many emails? Are you being bullied? Is it because my bum looks big in this? (ok, maybe not that one) Sadly there wasn’t a ‘it’s not you it’s me’ option so I clicked on ‘we are on a break’  ( it’s only temporary), just in case they took me seriously and really deactivated my account.  I really wanted to add I’m sorry Facebook, i’ll always love a part of you, but it was fruitless, Facebook knew the truth, it told me it was always here for me if I changed my mind then slammed the door in my face.  I stared at the blue screen for a few seconds, and it hit me that I was FREE! My four year relationship with Facebook was over!! I straight away wanted to log back in and tell all my friends! Doh! I would really need to pull up my socks if I was going to do this properly.

I was quite proud of myself in my new found social media freedom, until at 10am on tuesday I found myself in a rebound relationship with Skype. There I was attempting to update my Skype mood, which I have NEVER done.  Skype I use mainly for work and friends, I don’t see it as a social network. But if you think about it, it is. I would have to be careful with Skype because I was going back to Facebook, I couldn’t lead Skype on, I wasn’t that girl. So, other than that i’m doing okay so far.

At points I’ve noticed I think in tweets, ‘oh that would be a funny tweet’ passes through my mind several times.  And there are some things that would be answered very quickly for work if I could send out a quick update. Obviously, as I work in social media, I am an exception slightly, my ability to think and act in tweets and updates makes me good at the job I do! And I do love Social Media, I just want to get out of the habit of it personally, look at it from a different angle, hear a different conversation.

I’m reflecting on this aspect of me, why do I have a need to share everything? But it’s just me, I live my life like an open book, what you see is what you get, I am a very sociable person. I talk to everyone I meet, (whether they like it or not) I just really like communicating with people and that won’t stop, otherwise i’d have to stop and if I stopped I’d cry and everyone hates it when girls cry, even girls.

And how am I communicating? My Facebook contacts in particular are of high importance to me, there are several people that I’ve fallen into the habit of contacting purely via Facebook and Twitter. Being an adaptable sort,  I am finding other, older ways to do it. (the one time retro suits me!) Turns out phones do more than serve as a social media portal, you can speak on them too, and text, and there’s this other wonderful thing called ’email’. I know, I know, you remember them right? Well they work effectively. Have I talked on the phone more? Yes I have.  Have I written longer emails? Yes I have. Have I picked up a quill and hand written a letter? No, I have not, don’t be silly! Though it’s early days, who knows, I’ve always quite fancied a quill and to live in a country manor with dashing men on horseback stopping by to take me riding across the dales. Not that I’ve given it too much thought, ahem 🙂

However, as someone who quite happily lives her life checking in, updating and tweeting, i’m in unchartered waters, this free time is strange. But,  right now I need it! I am working on a new project that is a labour of love and so funny, it makes me smile every time I think of it, but until release day, you’ll have to wait! Suspect foul play though, lashings of it! Mwah Mwah x