Yes, yes, yes…I know it has been a month and a half since I posted here. Frankly it has been just about as long since I posted on Twitter (probably shouldn’t have said this, everyone probably just assumed I was posting at another time). I have been a bad media socialite.
I don’t know about you, but I occasionally go into a funk where I just don’t feel like sharing or creating. Stuff goes on in our non-digital lives, and it feels like too much to contain in words, and certainly too much to share. Sometimes I just get tired, and the blog and Twitter just feel like two more mouths crying for my time.
The good thing is that I always seem to eventually come out of it. I get an idea for a blog post (hopefully better than this) and I get excited about writing. I open my Twitter stream and something invites or provokes me into response, and I enjoy the feeling of connection all over again. I haven’t lost faith in the value of these venues. I’m just winded, and I can’t swim in the ocean right now.
The bad part of this is that the world of social media is very much a world of the now. If you aren’t currently posting, you don’t exist in the zeitgeist and memories are very short. That great article or hilarious post I wrote two months ago has no bearing on today’s readers. You take a break and you start from scratch building your network of followers again.
I don’t know where I’m going with this, beyond a plea for understanding of my absence. I know that I can’t be alone in this. Social media exhaustion is only one side effect of the ‘always on” digital culture. While the reactionary response is to condemn this world (“you kids, with your iPhones, and your Facesbook, and your digitals”), I am more inclined to see this as the individual self-adjusting to the challenges. We need “Stepped Away” signs to post in our digital space and the patience and care to accept (and maybe even encourage) these breaks in others. But, of course, no one will probably read this, since it has been so long since I posted.
As Always, I welcome your comments.
I agree completely and admire your ability to self reflect and manage your life.