There’s something magical about raising the blind on an airplane window and finding yourself somewhere new, an unknown landscape rising to greet you.
In Orange County, California, that landscape was dry and scrub-like, a flat expanse of land leading to a dark ridge of mountains, their base masked by late afternoon fog. What you can’t see from the air is the lush vegetation that calls this region home, the bougainvillea and the palm trees, the succulents and the cacti.
Six hours and nearly 3000 miles after leaving our apartment, my husband and I were on the West Coast of the USA – and I was without access to social media.
As a blogger and journalist, I’m rarely without my phone, and social media is basically part of my job description in 2017. While I love the ability Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter give me to share my work and connect with people both personally and professionally, I was starting to worry social media was taking over my life.
My phone was the first thing I looked at in the morning, and the last thing I saw at night. If I had time to kill on the bus, train, or subway, I scrolled aimlessly through the apps. I was even concerned I was getting some form of repetitive strain injury in my wrists, thanks to the amount of time I spent typing and swiping on my (slightly too large) iPhone.
And so, inspired by Jamie of Angloyankophile, I deleted all social media apps from my phone before I boarded my flight to Southern California earlier this month. I even left my laptop at home. I wanted to experience travel the way I used to, before smart phones and status updates and constant notifications.
The self-imposed ban left me slightly nervous as the plane took off. Would I miss social media? Would I miss out on exciting news from friends and fellow bloggers? Would I give in and download the apps before my four days were up?
In the end, a social media detox was exactly what I needed.
From the moment I stepped off the plane, I was more aware of my surroundings. Without my phone to offer distraction – what was the point in even taking it out of my bag if there was nothing to see on it? – I noticed details and scenes in this new-to-me destination that I otherwise would have missed.
At the Harbour Island West Marina in San Diego, I made eye contact with a heron standing silently on the edge of the dock. I noticed that at night, when the silence was like a blanket, the gently lapping water looked thick and inky. In the South Park neighbourhood, I admired the pastel-coloured homes and quirky boutiques, while back by the water I soaked up the atmosphere in Liberty Public Market, a former naval base turned al fresco food market.
Further north near Laguna Beach, I noticed the way the sand softly crunched under my bare feet, the patterns the huge Pacific waves made at the ocean’s edge, and the tangy, salty scent that filled the air. I was left wondering how architects and builders had managed to construct luxurious homes on the cliff edge, geometric-style buildings that teetered above the beach, commanding what I could only imagine must be majestic views out to sea.
Everywhere we went, I ate copious amounts of fish tacos (without immediately Instagraming them), and thrilled at driving down the Pacific Coast Highway, The OC soundtrack blaring, with nothing to look at but the view in front of me. Without social media, my travel experience was heightened.
More importantly, though, my social media detox meant my experience with the people around me was prioritized, too. I chatted endlessly with my husband, caught up over drinks with my sister-in-law, and played silly games with the youngest members of the family without digital distraction.
Did I miss social media, as I had worried?
In the end, not really.
When breaking news started coming in from London the weekend we were in California, the journalist in me did miss the immediacy of Twitter, but I didn’t break the ban; I opted for deep dives on the news, reading articles from multiple news sources instead of quick-fire takes on social media.
While I didn’t miss the mindless chatter and endless scrolling, disconnecting for five days made me realise that I do use these platforms to keep in touch with people. In that sense, social media isn’t all bad: it allows me to communicate with and connect with people I might not know otherwise, and keep up to date not only with my friends, but with you right here on this blog.
Five days after landing in the unfamiliar landscape of Southern California, I returned home feeling refreshed and rested, both physically and mentally. Part of me almost didn’t want to reinstall the apps, knowing how relaxing it was to remove them completely and be (almost) out of reach.
In fact, I enjoyed my time without social media so much that I’m resolving to make social media-free time a regular occurrence. I want to be “in the moment” more often, whether that’s on the beach by myself, or at a dinner table surrounded by friends.
No matter where I am – away on my travels or simply exploring close to home – I know I’ll benefit from a few hours offline. In this new digital age, we all could.
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Have you ever tried doing a social media detox? Would you like to do one, or do you hate the thought of giving up social media?
Let me know in the comments below – I’d love to hear from you?
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Love this! I spent four days on the West Highland Way last month, and while I didn’t delete any apps off my phone, I didn’t have any signal most of the time. I enjoyed every second it! I was hiking with two friends and had the best conversations with them. Putting away my phone except for emergencies and the one or the other collectively composed Instagram made me appreciate the time even more 🙂
Hiking the West Highland Way with no phone signal sounds perfect! I love when I don’t get phone signal in more rural parts of Scotland – you’re right, it really does make you appreciate the time even more 🙂
I’m more concerned with my addiction to some silly games on my phone than with social media, so have been trying to put them down and do the handwork I used to enjoy more…knitting, crochet and quilting. Haven’t been terribly successful, but I’m trying. Like you I’m worried about pain and tenderness in my wrists and thumbs from swiping. I don’t post much on FB or at all on Twitter, but I can spend hours tooling around on IG…I’m a very visual person. I’m working on it!
I think it’s very easy to get used to using our phones all the time – whether it’s for social media or games or anything like that. Good luck with trying to cut back! I definitely found just deleting the apps off the phone for the weekend made a huge difference.
YES.
Because I’m now in Europe — 6 hours ahead of my friends in North America (although same time zone as my European ones) — I’m only posting on Twitter when I know people are actually awake — i.e. after 1pm European time. But by then, I am out and about, and LOVING being far far far away from the computer for a change.
I brought my phone, but I only use it for occasional tweets and Instagram — and as a backup for taking photos when my (new, birthday!! Leica) runs out of juice. Have spoken once to Jose (he’s in Wisconsin this week while I am in Berlin) which was great and have Skyped with him a few times.
There’s no point at all going somewhere — and ignoring it!
You’re absolutely right Caitlin – there’s no point going somewhere and ignoring it!
So glad to hear you’re having a good time in Europe. It’s so refreshing to be able to step away from the laptop, especially somewhere new! (Love the sound of the new Leica, by the way!)
I don’t actually use social media all that much when I travel. If nobody is left at home I try not to indicate online that I’m very far away and the house is empty. I still scan through updates occasionally, but not as much because I’m usually too busy when I’m sightseeing. Usually I save the social media use for the evening just before bed.
I hadn’t even thought of the safety aspect of advertising the fact that you’re away from home – that’s a good point! I’m impressed at your ability to leave social media alone during the day. I think for me it’s become habit, whether I’m interested in what I’m seeing on the apps or not (which is why deleting them completely was so refreshing!).
I think that avoiding social media for a while allows for a kind of ‘reset’ though which you get a better understanding of both its value and its limitations. You tend to gain back the perspective that people who are totally consumed by it lose over time. Case in point: a Facebook friend who announced to everyone the other day that she was grateful for the rain holding off until she finished mowing her lawn! I’m sure that everyone else was as fascinated by this as I was! On the other hand, I’ve virtually met a lot of people who’ve enriched my life, including you of course, Katie, and given me fresh perspectives on things I thought I knew about but which I’d only seen through the prism of my own culture and experiences.
Thanks for your comment, George! I agree with you on both points. Taking a break definitely allows for some perspective, and a much-needed reset, but social media is also a great way to meet people, too. I think from now on I’m going to try using it in moderation, though!
The first time we went to Joshua Tree I did a complete technology detox. I switched off my phone for three days and insisted we only use guide books and paper maps. It was really quite refreshing. Also, so funny that we just recently connected in instagram. I was just having coffee with Megan O yesterday and it turns out she grew up with your husband. I met her at WITS 2016. The blogging (Brits in America?) world is so small. I guess we have technology to thank for that? Haha!
Wow it really is such a small world – I actually saw Megan briefly when I was in California, too! I haven’t done a complete technology detox before, but that actually sounds so refreshing. I’ll have to keep it mind for a future trip… I like the idea of shutting everything off and only using paper maps!
I did this a few years ago. Back then I only had Facebook and I deleted my account for 6 weeks. I had started the new year saying it would be for just 4 weeks but I enjoyed it so much.
When we go out for a walk sometimes I purposefully leave both my phone and camera behinds I can totally embrace my surroundings.
Everyone should do it more often.
I’m glad to hear you’ve enjoyed a good digital detox too, Melanie! I think it’s a good idea to leave technology behind, or switched off, now and again. I agree – it does let you embrace your surroundings more.