To the editor:
I’m writing in response to Brian Bors’ letter at the end of June. I was actually looking up how to submit a letter of my own when I came across it. I’ve been plagued by a similar train of thought recently and needed an outlet to share it –– besides social media.
It all came to a precipice a couple weeks back in the wake of the flood at the girls camp in Texas. Every moment I opened my phone, I was battered with traumatic retellings of my worst nightmare, sprinkled in between Amazon sales and my sister’s vacation. Over and over again. Bargains! Bodies! Beaches! And I was just trying to relax while I ate my lunch.
My nervous system couldn’t handle it this time. The emotional whiplash of the hoopla and the horrors and the highlights in a single scroll. The news cycle was relentless, and so was Prime week. The death count kept rising and the deals kept coming. There was no happy ending in sight –– something I was desperately holding out for. Maybe if I buy this vacuum? Please, oh please, find someone (anyone!) clinging to a tree. I ordered some protein powder. My nieces are having popsicles by the pool.
I was so stricken and frozen with inner turmoil. The duality of love and grief and hope and despair was off kilter. I deleted all my social media and news apps and reached out to a trusted coach on how to move forward. The mailman brought a stack of boxes. My sister came home from Florida.
Once I quit cold turkey it was obvious the grip that my phone had on my time and daily rituals. In my spare time, I’ve since reached for creative projects, thoughtful podcasts, visiting and texting friends and facilitating true connections. Most often, I just sit outside and observe the moment.
I’m not sure how I can go back to social media, if it all. As an artist, I feel called to share hope and beauty with the world, but at what cost to be online? It’s the consumption of content that becomes overbearing. I could actively whittle it down and set boundaries, but is it worth it? My one precious life, ya know?
So, Brian –– thank you for taking the time to speak up and share. It gives me hope that I’m not alone as I step back.
Jen Muehlenkamp
Athens, Ohio
