I hate and love my iPhone.
I love it because it is so easy to do things - I can tweet like a pro for both work and personal purposes (keeping everyone up-to-date on the process of my hair cut. You really needed to know, didn't you?). I can take and create amazing pictures on Instagram. I can keep in contact with friends on Facebook. I can check my yahoo and gmail accounts whenever I want and now I have access to my work email. I can even blog but rarely do because I can't type a whole post like that. I read books on it and check news. I listen to music and play Words with Friends.
And do you know what that means? I am also connected. When my alarm goes off at 6:40 a.m. (if Gizmo hasn't already summoned us yelling "Daaaaaaad! Moooooooom! Out!") I roll over, turn it off (on the phone) and start looking at Twitter. What's happened in the past 7 hours since I put my phone down? (One morning, I realized I could barely read my feed because my eyes still hadn't adjusted to being open.) Then I start tweeting for work purposes, sharing stories and breaking news. I spend my morning checking, checking, checking. I check it at red lights. I check it in meetings. I check it through the evening.
My husband says I need an intervention. I used to disagree, but really now, I want one.
I'm a news junkie and I'm nosy. I feel like to be part of Twitter in my personal life, I need to be there regularly to get in on the conversation but sometimes it is just so hard to keep up with it all. The last thing I need is something else to feel guilty about doing or not doing.
I don't want my kids to remember that I was always looking at my phone. But, it also how I stay connected. I can text Hillary or send her a Facebook message. It is how we see each other's kids since we live so far away. It's how I communicate with my sister since we don't always have time to talk on the phone at the same time. It's how I've met some awesome mothers across the country, with whom I have been able to share ups and downs. Plus blogging has been one way to keep record of the girls as they grow up.
But even I am feeling a overwhelmed trying to keep up with it all. I haven't been blogging as much. I don't check Facebook as much. Although I've traded both for new things - tweeting more for work and Instagram though neither take up as much time.
Hillary wrote about this earlier this year so I know I'm not the only one. How about you? Do you wonder if you are too connected?
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5 comments:
YES. I've actually put myself on a Twitter break this week because I was starting to feel like I couldn't keep up and to be honest, who cares what's going on? It's great to pop in and check in but like you said, I don't need something else making me feel guilty.
And when I started feeling like my life sucked every time I looked at Facebook, I stopped. It's the whole "only showing the good stuff" that makes me nuts.
End rant. (Sorry!!!)
Some days I know I connect too much... if that makes sense. It's almost like a comfort thing, a security blanket. Kids driving me bananas? I'm exhausted? ZOMG WHAT'S HAPPENING ON TWITTER TO DISTRACT ME FROM THE MADNESS? Other days, I am busy enough that it's just a nice break and doesn't feel so intrusive. And I can control myself, I guess. LOL It's a blessing and a curse, the ability to be instantly and constantly connected to so many (lovely!) people.
There have been weeks where I wasn't on Twitter as I was too busy and my head was too full and it felt good to keep the "noise" to a minimum.
Other weeks I am knee deep and love the community and my friends so much.
I'm better some days than others. I really make an effort to not turn my computer on while my kids are awake though, which helps. I still check Twitter on my phone those days, but it's easier for me to set it aside and be present.
Definitely. But as someone who often goes days without really talking to other adults other than a couple of hours with the hubs at night, it's nice to have the option.
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