Thank you, that really means a lot to me. I am glad that my words resonated with you. I am glad to have the connection here. I think there is opportunity for much more impactful discourse.
I guess with this platform the biggest thing would be to give it time to grow naturally. It started really really slow for me. The first month I felt I was shouting into a void. Your writing will resonate with someone and then it will start to spread. I had to recognize that I was writing for myself first off and then if there are people who connect with it then that is great. I think in life we often need to give ourselves time and space to grow organically rather than pushing it. Slowing down is why I am here now.
I would be happy to help you put together a reading syllabus if you are serious about that. Let me know and we can play around with it.
Slowly does it. Your writing is great, Jo, and you are right in the foothills. As Matt said, growth (engagement is a better aiming point) does come. Find a few good folk to chat to, to swap ideas with, to celebrate each other's work, and it will build. Enjoy the writing and the company the most and that will come across.
Thanks Tami, I appreciate that. It is hard. Most of my family uses Facebook to stay in touch so that was the most challenging piece to give up. It has been very freeing though. No regrets.
Congrats on leaving social media. I quit all social media 10 years ago. It wasn't easy (as you say, family and friends use FB a lot to keep in touch) but I did it and wrote about why:
Enjoyed reading your article Bob. You took the plunge early and are probably the better for it! I waited too long but am enjoying the extra time in my day now.
Damn, you're a good writer, Matthew. All you're doing here is telling us about your decision to leave social media and yet I was engaged and entertained from start to finish! I can tell I'm going to enjoy my subscription to The Books of Our Lives.
Don - sincerely appreciate your kind words. Glad to have you here and thanks for taking the time to read and comment.
I also read the comment string where you restacked my article. Thank you for sharing it by the way. I understand the individual's point about Substack being another form of social media but he may have missed the forest for the trees. Substack is much more manageable, for me at least. I spend the majority of my time reading articles and writing my own. Notes makes up a very small part of my Substack experience. Yes, this is a 'social media' platform to an extent but not nearly the same as those I left behind. I didn't really want to get into a back and forth with the individual because it seems to me he was being intentionally antagonistic, exactly the thing I am trying to avoid! All the best and glad to have connected here.
Smart. Yes, as I mentioned there, I'm sure it is different for everyone. I never got into Instagram. I have deleted my FB account three times in the past—due to the negativity, not any concern about being addicted—but have gone back always because I have a large family that mostly doesn't read, and that is where they post all their pics and family news.
Substack is the first place I have ever struck up connections and interactions with people I haven't met, but the content is so engaging—books and writing—that at least as of now, I am thrilled. Books and reading and to a lesser extent writing have defined my life.
(I am, however, having a little difficulty with my wife, who hates social media and is confused and upset about the sudden amount of time I am on the phone and computer. I think about your 1-hour a day Notes policy a lot. We are in an on-going conversation about how to accommodate this into our lives.)
A wonderful post! I left Facebook a couple of years ago and then recently Instagram - the latter was scarier as it was where I actually interacted with people. It’s strange how relived I felt when I deleted it, it’s kinda of freeing in its own way. I hope your trip to Europe is amazing!
Thank you! I had a much harder time with Facebook, primarily because so many family members used it to stay in touch. I liked the book community on Instagram but it was much easier for me to leave behind since I knew I would find an even better community here. Interesting how the experience is slightly different for us but end result is the same! I am very excited about Europe. I have visited a couple times for work but this will be my family's first trip.
Thank you for this, Matthew. It's so good to see more people walk away from social media and digital distractions. I have only ever used one Twitter, which I left around 5 years ago for pretty much the same reasons as you talk about here. The main distractions I find keep me from doing what are important to me (and I love the Roman quote here!) are checking my phone and turning to YouTube for "easy entertainment". I am aiming to put better habits in place this year, including putting the phone away as soon as I arrive home and always having a book with me.
Good luck with your reading goals and upcoming retirement - love the family pic!! 😀
Kate, thanks for the kind words as always. Really appreciate your regular engagement and getting to "know" you here. It is interesting that Twitter and YouTube are two platforms that had almost no pull on me. I don't think I ever had a Twitter account that I can recall. YouTube I will occasionally use but it is pretty seldom. Facebook and Instagram were the culprits for me. And Goodreads which I also left because I felt it wasn't representative of the book community.
I think it is shaping up to be a good reading year. I am slowing down a bit and taking my time. It is nice. I am excited about retirement as it will give me more time for writing. All the best!
Matthew, saving your post so I can refer back to it. I’ve been online since 1993 (30 years) and also, recently, feeling a strong call to give up social media. Thanks for your useful reflections.
Debbie - I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment. I remember getting online in the early 90s (I was in high school) and thinking it was the most amazing thing! The internet is like anything else I suppose. I am grateful to have access to it for many things and for its community building ability on platforms like this. But I don't think I will miss social media much. All the best!
Ambitious reading list! Question: do you consider your list locked in? If you start reading something and dislike it, will you grimly read through or toss it aside?
David - thank you and great question. There was a time in my life where I refused to set aside a book once I started. Those days are long past. If I am not enjoying something after maybe 50-100 pages I will set it aside and move on. It is a little bit subjective. I am more likely to set aside fiction I am not enjoying rather than say history or biography but I am also more likely to skim through non-fiction for those parts that really interest me. This year the only thing I am really trying to read word for word are Steinbeck's works because of the effort and focus I am putting into that project.
Congratulations, Matt! I'm glad you're making a healthy and thoughtful decision for yourself. I'm also happy that I discovered you on here, and look forward to seeing what this new year brings to you and those you love. In the meantime, enjoy the peace and quiet.
The Sound of Music was a tradition in our family, too, and I learned to love the songs, so your use of them here gives me an idea of just how good it feels to close your accounts. 🎶 It sounds like a wonderful year ahead with retirement, reclaimed time and attention, excellent books and people to read them with, and the family trip. Inspiring!
Thanks Tara - yes, it was a great feeling and I have had zero regrets! My decision is already paying dividends. I am excited about the year ahead. For the first time in many years I don't have a defined path (i.e. career) and it is really an exciting spot to be in. The world is my oyster!
Excellent post, as usual. Lovely throwback to Sound of Music, which my own mother also got me into as a child! Excited to read your thoughts on those books, and to hear about your adventures in Europe.
Many thanks Tiffany. I have heard from so many folks today whose mothers loved the movie and introduced it to their children. What an amazing gift and thread to connect us all.
I haven't said goodbye to social media but I AM taking a break from it. I don't think twice about NOT replying anymore. Although, I did at first. Social media isn't like face to face. In my opinion it's not being rude not to take time out when needed, etc. In doing so, I think you're being humane to yourself but that's just me. I like business related things on it but it just gets out of hand sometimes. Right now, I'm working on fixing my studio up and my main site. You can take a look at my main blog at https://www.angelasartarea.com/blog I don't know if getting my site working better will happen but it sure won't if I don't try. :) I haven't seen The Sound of Music in years but used to watch it alot! Julie Andrews what a voice and that acting seriously she's amazing! It is a fun musical but honestly I love a bunch of musicals. I just got back to sketching!! You'll see that my latest post is about Bob Fosse. My next one should be a combination of history and Fosse though. Nerd Alert but really what can I say? Some things I just find super interesting! :) Anyway, great post!!! I hope that you have lots of fun!!!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and respond. It really means a lot and I am glad that my words resonated with you. I will check out your sketches, thanks for the link.
I would absolutely love that!!! Thank YOU. It would mean so much. Let me know what you think of my sketches. I digitally moved them around to spell Fosse. Due to that, they don't look like the normal sketches. Offline, they aren't coloured in, etc. I just updated my post today or made a new post for my site! Please note that I go into history issues on the second recording. I appologize ahead of time for my repeating myself. I'm a bit of a nerd, and get super excited whenever I find any new info. out.
Congrats, and I’m glad you are posting here. I like your reasoning and I hope you have more time to accomplish the things that are most important to you.
Sarah - thanks for reading. I never used Twitter so I don't have much familiarity with it but I have heard similar complaints from others as well. I think the most important thing for me is finding a place to have meaningful interactions with others. Substack seems to be supporting that and so far my experience here has been really positive.
Great post, Matt and what an inspiration. Slowly, gently, I am releasing myself from the clutches of it all. LinkedIn went first - all those white, middle-aged sales men wearing short sleeved white shirts they forgot to iron, telling themselves that they're pumped by the award of Salesman of the Week in their company that makes valves, quoting lines from testosterone-fuelled movies about cars. Phew, got that off my chest. FaceBook, inactive. I once peeked in and saw the dwindling number of 'happy birthdays' and realised that everyone probably assumed I'd died, which is a good plot for a fiction. The Artist Formally Known as X went in the Summer and I am left clutching onto Instagram like a comfort blanket ... I quietly mutter "but it's not like all the rest" while bemoaning its rubbishness and inability to show me the folk I want to see or celebrating that we've reached only one fifth of the folk who follow us. Clinging on.
But Substack, now you're talking. I suspect it is a creative hub more than social media, a co-working space with good coffee and excellent chat in the queue to buy it. Love it here.
Barrie - thanks so much my friend. My LinkedIn is still active as my job requires it at the moment but when I retire this summer it will come down. Instagram was my favorite but once Simon introduced me to Substack I realized how little actual interaction I had with others and the book community seemed to be just a bunch of folks posting pictures of the same stacks of books without any discussion. I sometimes wondered if they even read them. Facebook was the hardest for me, only because of family using it to stay in touch. I have no regrets and don't miss any of them! Definitely agree on your thoughts about Substack. I see the newsletter/publication as a platform to reach my readers and the Notes section as the break room for all us writers to chat.
I’m a bit irreverent with LinkedIn ... it was just fine when I loitered in the world of work. It’s the time we get back for creating rather than just sharing and scrolling that is the wonder of it all. See you in the break out room, Matt. I’ll bring cake!
Thank you Luisa. I appreciate the encouragement. I am glad that it was a positive decision for you as I am confident it will be for me.
Thank you, that really means a lot to me. I am glad that my words resonated with you. I am glad to have the connection here. I think there is opportunity for much more impactful discourse.
I guess with this platform the biggest thing would be to give it time to grow naturally. It started really really slow for me. The first month I felt I was shouting into a void. Your writing will resonate with someone and then it will start to spread. I had to recognize that I was writing for myself first off and then if there are people who connect with it then that is great. I think in life we often need to give ourselves time and space to grow organically rather than pushing it. Slowing down is why I am here now.
I would be happy to help you put together a reading syllabus if you are serious about that. Let me know and we can play around with it.
Slowly does it. Your writing is great, Jo, and you are right in the foothills. As Matt said, growth (engagement is a better aiming point) does come. Find a few good folk to chat to, to swap ideas with, to celebrate each other's work, and it will build. Enjoy the writing and the company the most and that will come across.
You’re braver than I, Matthew! Ha! Can’t quite give up social media altogether yet even if I know it would be awesome for me. You’re an inspiration!
Thanks Tami, I appreciate that. It is hard. Most of my family uses Facebook to stay in touch so that was the most challenging piece to give up. It has been very freeing though. No regrets.
Congrats on leaving social media. I quit all social media 10 years ago. It wasn't easy (as you say, family and friends use FB a lot to keep in touch) but I did it and wrote about why:
https://sassone.wordpress.com/2014/08/13/thoughts-on-social-media/
Enjoyed reading your article Bob. You took the plunge early and are probably the better for it! I waited too long but am enjoying the extra time in my day now.
Damn, you're a good writer, Matthew. All you're doing here is telling us about your decision to leave social media and yet I was engaged and entertained from start to finish! I can tell I'm going to enjoy my subscription to The Books of Our Lives.
Don - sincerely appreciate your kind words. Glad to have you here and thanks for taking the time to read and comment.
I also read the comment string where you restacked my article. Thank you for sharing it by the way. I understand the individual's point about Substack being another form of social media but he may have missed the forest for the trees. Substack is much more manageable, for me at least. I spend the majority of my time reading articles and writing my own. Notes makes up a very small part of my Substack experience. Yes, this is a 'social media' platform to an extent but not nearly the same as those I left behind. I didn't really want to get into a back and forth with the individual because it seems to me he was being intentionally antagonistic, exactly the thing I am trying to avoid! All the best and glad to have connected here.
Smart. Yes, as I mentioned there, I'm sure it is different for everyone. I never got into Instagram. I have deleted my FB account three times in the past—due to the negativity, not any concern about being addicted—but have gone back always because I have a large family that mostly doesn't read, and that is where they post all their pics and family news.
Substack is the first place I have ever struck up connections and interactions with people I haven't met, but the content is so engaging—books and writing—that at least as of now, I am thrilled. Books and reading and to a lesser extent writing have defined my life.
(I am, however, having a little difficulty with my wife, who hates social media and is confused and upset about the sudden amount of time I am on the phone and computer. I think about your 1-hour a day Notes policy a lot. We are in an on-going conversation about how to accommodate this into our lives.)
Picture will only make me look more as I actually do.
A wonderful post! I left Facebook a couple of years ago and then recently Instagram - the latter was scarier as it was where I actually interacted with people. It’s strange how relived I felt when I deleted it, it’s kinda of freeing in its own way. I hope your trip to Europe is amazing!
Thank you! I had a much harder time with Facebook, primarily because so many family members used it to stay in touch. I liked the book community on Instagram but it was much easier for me to leave behind since I knew I would find an even better community here. Interesting how the experience is slightly different for us but end result is the same! I am very excited about Europe. I have visited a couple times for work but this will be my family's first trip.
Thank you for this, Matthew. It's so good to see more people walk away from social media and digital distractions. I have only ever used one Twitter, which I left around 5 years ago for pretty much the same reasons as you talk about here. The main distractions I find keep me from doing what are important to me (and I love the Roman quote here!) are checking my phone and turning to YouTube for "easy entertainment". I am aiming to put better habits in place this year, including putting the phone away as soon as I arrive home and always having a book with me.
Good luck with your reading goals and upcoming retirement - love the family pic!! 😀
Kate, thanks for the kind words as always. Really appreciate your regular engagement and getting to "know" you here. It is interesting that Twitter and YouTube are two platforms that had almost no pull on me. I don't think I ever had a Twitter account that I can recall. YouTube I will occasionally use but it is pretty seldom. Facebook and Instagram were the culprits for me. And Goodreads which I also left because I felt it wasn't representative of the book community.
I think it is shaping up to be a good reading year. I am slowing down a bit and taking my time. It is nice. I am excited about retirement as it will give me more time for writing. All the best!
Matthew, saving your post so I can refer back to it. I’ve been online since 1993 (30 years) and also, recently, feeling a strong call to give up social media. Thanks for your useful reflections.
Debbie - I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment. I remember getting online in the early 90s (I was in high school) and thinking it was the most amazing thing! The internet is like anything else I suppose. I am grateful to have access to it for many things and for its community building ability on platforms like this. But I don't think I will miss social media much. All the best!
Ambitious reading list! Question: do you consider your list locked in? If you start reading something and dislike it, will you grimly read through or toss it aside?
David - thank you and great question. There was a time in my life where I refused to set aside a book once I started. Those days are long past. If I am not enjoying something after maybe 50-100 pages I will set it aside and move on. It is a little bit subjective. I am more likely to set aside fiction I am not enjoying rather than say history or biography but I am also more likely to skim through non-fiction for those parts that really interest me. This year the only thing I am really trying to read word for word are Steinbeck's works because of the effort and focus I am putting into that project.
That makes sense.
Congratulations, Matt! I'm glad you're making a healthy and thoughtful decision for yourself. I'm also happy that I discovered you on here, and look forward to seeing what this new year brings to you and those you love. In the meantime, enjoy the peace and quiet.
Thanks Troy. I appreciate that. Glad we connected as well.
The Sound of Music was a tradition in our family, too, and I learned to love the songs, so your use of them here gives me an idea of just how good it feels to close your accounts. 🎶 It sounds like a wonderful year ahead with retirement, reclaimed time and attention, excellent books and people to read them with, and the family trip. Inspiring!
Thanks Tara - yes, it was a great feeling and I have had zero regrets! My decision is already paying dividends. I am excited about the year ahead. For the first time in many years I don't have a defined path (i.e. career) and it is really an exciting spot to be in. The world is my oyster!
It sounds dreamy and well earned!
Excellent post, as usual. Lovely throwback to Sound of Music, which my own mother also got me into as a child! Excited to read your thoughts on those books, and to hear about your adventures in Europe.
Many thanks Tiffany. I have heard from so many folks today whose mothers loved the movie and introduced it to their children. What an amazing gift and thread to connect us all.
I haven't said goodbye to social media but I AM taking a break from it. I don't think twice about NOT replying anymore. Although, I did at first. Social media isn't like face to face. In my opinion it's not being rude not to take time out when needed, etc. In doing so, I think you're being humane to yourself but that's just me. I like business related things on it but it just gets out of hand sometimes. Right now, I'm working on fixing my studio up and my main site. You can take a look at my main blog at https://www.angelasartarea.com/blog I don't know if getting my site working better will happen but it sure won't if I don't try. :) I haven't seen The Sound of Music in years but used to watch it alot! Julie Andrews what a voice and that acting seriously she's amazing! It is a fun musical but honestly I love a bunch of musicals. I just got back to sketching!! You'll see that my latest post is about Bob Fosse. My next one should be a combination of history and Fosse though. Nerd Alert but really what can I say? Some things I just find super interesting! :) Anyway, great post!!! I hope that you have lots of fun!!!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and respond. It really means a lot and I am glad that my words resonated with you. I will check out your sketches, thanks for the link.
I would absolutely love that!!! Thank YOU. It would mean so much. Let me know what you think of my sketches. I digitally moved them around to spell Fosse. Due to that, they don't look like the normal sketches. Offline, they aren't coloured in, etc. I just updated my post today or made a new post for my site! Please note that I go into history issues on the second recording. I appologize ahead of time for my repeating myself. I'm a bit of a nerd, and get super excited whenever I find any new info. out.
Congrats, and I’m glad you are posting here. I like your reasoning and I hope you have more time to accomplish the things that are most important to you.
Thanks Jenn, appreciate the support and encouragement. I am definitely looking forward to having more time for my priorities.
It's very tempting just to delete Twitter. It doesn't even work properly anymore
Sarah - thanks for reading. I never used Twitter so I don't have much familiarity with it but I have heard similar complaints from others as well. I think the most important thing for me is finding a place to have meaningful interactions with others. Substack seems to be supporting that and so far my experience here has been really positive.
Great post, Matt and what an inspiration. Slowly, gently, I am releasing myself from the clutches of it all. LinkedIn went first - all those white, middle-aged sales men wearing short sleeved white shirts they forgot to iron, telling themselves that they're pumped by the award of Salesman of the Week in their company that makes valves, quoting lines from testosterone-fuelled movies about cars. Phew, got that off my chest. FaceBook, inactive. I once peeked in and saw the dwindling number of 'happy birthdays' and realised that everyone probably assumed I'd died, which is a good plot for a fiction. The Artist Formally Known as X went in the Summer and I am left clutching onto Instagram like a comfort blanket ... I quietly mutter "but it's not like all the rest" while bemoaning its rubbishness and inability to show me the folk I want to see or celebrating that we've reached only one fifth of the folk who follow us. Clinging on.
But Substack, now you're talking. I suspect it is a creative hub more than social media, a co-working space with good coffee and excellent chat in the queue to buy it. Love it here.
Great post.
Barrie
Barrie - thanks so much my friend. My LinkedIn is still active as my job requires it at the moment but when I retire this summer it will come down. Instagram was my favorite but once Simon introduced me to Substack I realized how little actual interaction I had with others and the book community seemed to be just a bunch of folks posting pictures of the same stacks of books without any discussion. I sometimes wondered if they even read them. Facebook was the hardest for me, only because of family using it to stay in touch. I have no regrets and don't miss any of them! Definitely agree on your thoughts about Substack. I see the newsletter/publication as a platform to reach my readers and the Notes section as the break room for all us writers to chat.
I’m a bit irreverent with LinkedIn ... it was just fine when I loitered in the world of work. It’s the time we get back for creating rather than just sharing and scrolling that is the wonder of it all. See you in the break out room, Matt. I’ll bring cake!