- Pirre Vaarala
- Sep 8, 2016
To get the blog rolling I thought I could start on a pressing matter of social media addictions, and more precisely, my own social media addictions.
Compared to many people I could argue I'm not even that addicted - I don't post frantically every five minutes in a desperate attempt to get thousands of followers on whatever platform I want to. But I do know and I have noticed that social media is a thing I turn to more often than not these days. Rare are the instances when I pull out a good old-fashioned book when I sit down on a long bus ride - no, I dig out my trusty phone and start scrolling. Why? I suppose because it's too easy.
Unlike most people I am not addicted to Facebook. In fact, I consider Facebook my mortal enemy and I am more than happy to curse its existence every moment I can. I didn't even have a Facebook account until this summer and so far it hasn't done me any good besides Messenger. I get why it can be beneficial if you're an entrepreneur or an artist, Facebook sharing is very efficient and it's easy for users to find new interests, but as I'm not an entrepreneur or a widely known artist it just doesn't click with me (pun intended). I mean, why should people know on their feed what I have liked??
Instead, my real sources of addiction are Instagram and Tumblr, with a hint of Pinterest and Twitter. The first thing in the morning after waking up: reach for the phone and open Instagram. Get up and eat breakfast with Tumblr scrolling down on 35th page already. Get on bus and check Twitter and also again Instagram. Rinse repeat.
So what do I even get out of this? Over time I've come to realize that I don't even necessarily need anything out of the pages after after pages I scroll through - I just need to pass the time. I get nervous if I don't have anything to do and I can't access my social feeds. And once I get to the feeds, I don't even do it for a purpose. Some might compare it to the kind of smoking addiction where you're actually addicted to the gesture instead of nicotine.
There have been times when I've been green and fresh to different social medias and when I actually did try to appeal to audiences to get loads of followers. But then I realized - what would I really get out of it? So long gone are those days, replaced by placeholder scrolling. Once an active Twitter account is now reserved for occasional whining (and when I say occasional I mean it - once every couple of weeks). On Tumblr it has become a bigger habit to like posts for future references instead of reblogging, with the result of 2,500+ likes and no time to actually sort through them all. Can this really be considered useful pass of time?
Now, the situation may seem hopeless but actually it's not so bad when it comes to Instagram and Pinterest. True, Instagram has to be checked multiple times a day but through that I truly feel connected with people. Instead of the messy mess that calls itself Facebook, Instagram has a single purpose: pictures. Edited, non edited, faces, landscapes, food. Professional, free time, art It's all about pictures. And as a visual person that appeals to me. There are times when I think Facebook might suit my posting needs better (multiple pictures you want to put in a folder), but all in all Instagram is The Social Media for me. As for Pinterest, weeks may pass that I don't remember to scroll the feed, but when I actually do need to inspiration and help, it's all there, organized and ready. And on some days when all the other social medias have been browsed thoroughly it's nice to just scroll down Pinterest for fun and search for some new inspirational ideas.
Often I realize it's been weeks since I picked up a book instead of a phone, and as a book worm and a collector it baffles me, but still I too often give up and reach for my phone again. Is it really a question of time, that there's not enough time for settling down with a book? I don't think so. More likely it's a habit that needs an act of strong will, to leave the phone where it is, leave it be until it actually beeps, and just nest inside a blanket with a cup of tea and a good piece of literature.
In the end, that's what I really want to do after all.