I was only going to post once to the blog today. However…this has been on my mind for a few days and I wanted to sit with it this morning, think about it, and get it out of my head. How do you self-monitor/surveil your social media usage? Add a comment if you like.

I’ve taken great pride in writing about how I’ve taken Twitter and Instagram off of my devices. I’ve written about how each was not bringing me any joy. I’ve written that I’ve made the choice to do other things with the time I’m saving being off both platforms. That said...I have a confession.

I did bring both platforms back to my devices recently...as a result of the shelter in place order due to COVID-19. I’ve been using both to fill time. Re-reading that sentence makes me a little sad. Why do I need Twitter and Instagram to fill time? There are so many other things I could be doing...like writing...or meditating...going for a walk with my wife...or just relaxing!

In defense of the decision to bring them both back I have locked each of them down pretty fully. I only follow 16 people on Twitter. And...I’m learning how to use Twitter to leverage an increase in traffic on my blog...trying to build an audience. My Instagram account is private...I only follow 16 people there as well...a combination of family and friends. In an effort to surveil my own activity I’ve also been time tracking my usage for both platforms. I have even put a restriction of 15 minutes per day for Instagram onto my iPhone XR.

That said...I’ve found recently that I have not been time tracking either of them with fidelity. I’ve found that if I do choose to time track Instagram that when I reach my limit...I ignore that warning for the rest of the day.

Spending time on both platforms has been a nice escape during the day and I’m wondering if that is because I’m just curious with what’s going on outside of the walls of our house? I have caught myself reading a bunch of the COVID-19 updates on Twitter and getting a little upset with some of the things I’m seeing. That goes against the mantra of “If it’s not bringing me joy...it’s not for me” stance that found me taking these platforms off of my devices in the first place. I do need to be informed during this time though...right? I’m going to remain mindful of what I’m doing with both platforms while at the same time try to be nice to myself when I catch myself going over my self-imposed limits for each.