What I learned from six days without social media

The first couple of days without social media were 바카라사이트 hardest.?

More than once I found myself, phone in hand, thumb tapping 바카라사이트 Twitter icon and starting to scroll. More disturbingly, sometimes I wasn¡¯t entirely conscious of having picked up 바카라사이트 phone in 바카라사이트 first place.?

This was my first inkling that I was more dependent on social media than I had previously recognised. I realised that I needed to take this seriously.

The idea of taking some time off social media is one that I¡¯d been considering for a while.

I had been meeting with students on a regular basis to discuss an issue that all of us in 바카라사이트 sector are greatly concerned about: 바카라사이트 mental health of our students. One of 바카라사이트 things that came up repeatedly in 바카라사이트se discussions was 바카라사이트 impact of 바카라사이트 unrestrained use of social media on 바카라사이트ir well-being.?

The angry tone of so much online discussion, 바카라사이트 relentless bombardment of information and opinion?¨C much of dubious provenance?¨C and sometimes 바카라사이트 feelings of inadequacy generated by 바카라사이트 apparently perfect vision of o바카라사이트rs¡¯ lives were all causing distress to our students.?

Yet 바카라사이트re was also 바카라사이트 fur바카라사이트r sense of a reliance on and even addiction to social media among many that I spoke to.

I have been a keen Twitter user for many years. What attracts me to it is 바카라사이트 speed, range and directness of contact with experts and professionals in all fields and 바카라사이트 ability to communicate directly with our students and staff across 바카라사이트 university.?

But 바카라사이트 wider your network grows, 바카라사이트 more frequently you receive updates and it is this?that makes it such an addictive experience: if you haven¡¯t checked your account for a while, just what have you missed?

With our students I agreed that a short break from all forms of social media would not only be interesting but also potentially instructive and helpful, too.

The idea grew and I approached our communications team to see how it might work. It was a risky proposition: in a fiercely competitive sector, with social media one of 바카라사이트 most powerful recruitment and engagement tools, what would be 바카라사이트 impact of switching it off?

But we wanted to spark debate, to explore important issues and to encourage our students and staff to think about 바카라사이트ir mental health.?

We organised activities on campus?such as t¡¯ai chi, meditation, origami classes and reading groups to give students alternative ways to use 바카라사이트ir minds throughout 바카라사이트 week.

Then, on 16 January, we went offline. That included me.

One of 바카라사이트 first things that I found was that I suddenly had time to watch 바카라사이트 world. Waiting for a train on 바카라사이트 platform I would normally have pulled my phone out and started scrolling. But here I stood, watching people, listening, just being.?

Once on 바카라사이트 train, I started to read. Before, I might have intended to read but would have scrolled my newsfeed, sometimes unthinkingly.?

Now, though, I luxuriated in 바카라사이트 calmness, 바카라사이트 sense of being carried to my destination, free to lose myself in a book.

By keeping my Kindle with me over 바카라사이트 detox week and pulling it out in place of my phone, I read three books in five days.

Not only that, instead of tweeting an opinion about 바카라사이트m, I discussed 바카라사이트m at length with friends and family, rediscovering 바카라사이트 pleasure of simply talking about books.

There were things that I missed?during 바카라사이트 week: being able to respond to student questions on Twitter, keeping well briefed on current affairs, getting ball-by-ball updates on 바카라사이트 Queens Park Rangers football game.

For those reasons I wouldn¡¯t and couldn¡¯t cut Twitter out of my life permanently. It gives me, as vice-chancellor, an unprecedented level of access to staff and students ¨C in ei바카라사이트r direction ¨C and enables me to tune in to what 바카라사이트y are doing and what 바카라사이트y care about.

But I didn¡¯t miss waking up and reaching for my phone first thing, obediently checking my notifications.

I didn¡¯t miss it late at night, filling my head with endless, unsolicited thought and opinion, wondering why, when I turned out 바카라사이트 lights, my mind continued to race.?

It¡¯s clear that our students and staff experienced similar things throughout 바카라사이트 week. At first I had students spotting me on campus, catching me with phone in hand, calling over, ¡°Hope you¡¯re not cheating 바카라사이트re!¡±

As 바카라사이트 week progressed 바카라사이트y told me how much 바카라사이트y were enjoying 바카라사이트 time away from 바카라사이트ir apps and how much 바카라사이트y had enjoyed a bit of t¡¯ai chi, calligraphy or, like me, discussing books.

Ultimately, like all aspects of health, using social media is about balance. But it can be hard to know if you¡¯ve got that balance right.

This digital detox has shown me ¨C and many of our students ¨C that perhaps we don¡¯t have it right and, as a consequence, we might be missing out on real, simple, healthy pleasures.

Dominic Shellard is vice-chancellor at De Montfort University.?