A quarter without social media, near enough. Some, I’d never started, and others I continued through fear of missing out. As a huge surprise to absolutely nobody, I don’t miss it. I completely understand that many people take a load of positives from their time on social media, but I didn’t. Without it, I’m less distracted.
Thing is - this abstinence lark is contagious. With the exception of major sporting events, TV is an evening thing for me, and mostly it’s from the streaming services. So I don’t watch any news bulletins anymore.
Generally speaking, I don’t have a clue what’s going on in the world, and I’m not sure how I feel about it. Mostly, ignorance is bliss, but from time to time, I do feel disconnected. “What about Trump, eh?” “Umm…what about him?” I discovered that he’d been indicted from a friend as we played golf. I didn’t add much to the conversation.
Outside of my specific interests, everything passes me by. I had no idea that Scotland were playing Cyprus at football, or indeed that Scotland beat Spain. Notable people die, and I may or may not hear of their passing.
All this leads me to think - do I need to keep abreast of things? Do they matter?
I think I do want to know what’s going on - I just don’t want things presented in such a way as to “capture” my attention. Apple’s online news service reminds me more of a social media engine than a news feed. That, I don’t want.
I’m going to make time to keep up with the world.
I’ve downloaded the BBC news app as a starting point. I’ll report back how that goes.
I take the Economist, digitally, and mostly I ignore it, which is a waste of money and a missed opportunity. I’m going to read an article a day from the weekly magazine which I imagine will provide more depth than the BBC app.
Hopefully, this will keep me current and promote some thought. I need to think more.
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