Originally posted to my blog.

I’ve been conducting an experiment.

These days everyone is a little more addicted to their phones than they'd like to admit. I know as a college student, I always have my phone on me, and there rarely passes an hour where I don't check it. Our phones and computers have become a fight for our attention, with social media, ads and constant reminders of what the rest of the world is doing. In no way am I trying to paint the Internet as this evil thing, because I think it serves many great purposes, like keeping us all connected and more informed. But everyone needs a break. Having information and entertainment constantly at our fingertips creates a need in our brain to be occupied with something at all times. This can create a shorter attention span and make it more difficult to focus. I myself find it hard to simply watch a TV show without being on my phone scrolling through some form of media. Taking a breath from the digital world that we are all so engulfed will give you new freedom. It will give you your independence back and release the Internet's hold on your attention and brain space.

It's that time of the year.

If I told you that you would lose all electricity and access to the internet for 24 hours, how would you feel? If you’re anything like me, your heart skips a tiny beat. But what if I miss an important work email? What if something bad happens and I need to call for help? What if I can’t share the experience on social media?

Now, I will start off by saying this wasn’t planned at all. I forgot my phone in my friends car on my way to catch the train. I had two minutes to decide whether I go back and try to catch her (and potentially miss this train which, would make me wait 15 minutes for the next one) OR just suck it up and go the whole day phone-less. I chose the latter.

Oh, the lovely world of social media, we all love it and sometimes, we hate it. Now if you know anything about me, I am someone who absolutely loves social media and uses the full potential of it to display my creativity and influence. I love being able to connect with others all across the globe, marketing to new clients and learning about cultures that I had no idea existed outside of social media. It is so beautiful to know there are so many people out there that are like you. Then, there are many others that are total opposites and they bless us with their absolute uniqueness. Learning to balance between the two and have many flowing personalities can be a wonderful thing. However, what we find sometimes is that we compare ourselves to others that are behind a glass screen, just like us, with a normal life.

No one has everything figured out. Life is full of bittersweet moments for all of us even those who pretend it is glorious. Completely filled with fake nails, hair, and flawless make-up followed by “I woke up like this.” As far as to even have rented cars and vacation homes, the list goes on and on.

I'm just your average millennial, completely obsessed with my social media, from my Facebook to my Twitter, I'm always posting on some kind of social app. I can't go an hour without looking at my phone, which like a lot of other people, it's pretty normal. But if you know me, you know I don't do normal. So it's time for a change, a big one at that. I've decided to log out of all my social media accounts and go an entire year without it.

Social media is one of the biggest booms in technology. We went from writing emails connected to a noisy modem in the 90s to a plethora of social media platforms accessible from our phones. This is a great advantage for us who like to keep up with the world's newest trends or keep in touch with old friends.

In the age of social media, influencers, and being a part of a generation that puts high emphasis on likes, followers, and the perfect Instagram feed, it is possible that we forget the impact and the influence we can all have on each other.

So, the title of this post does not actually mean that social media has disappeared, but it does mean that for me, at this very moment in time, social media is gone.