#Day7 #WelcomeBack

The experiment has come to a close. I get to go back to my old social networking ways. I thought that this experiment would change my views about social networking, but in reality, I enjoy staying connected with people. Having family out of state and friends away at college, Facebook and Twitter are easy ways I can contact them. I am definitely happy that I have had the experience of giving social networking up, but I don't think I would want to do it again. It definitely allowed me to see what kind of things I could do in my spare time. Its amazing how hard I had to try to actually stop myself from going on twitter. I alwayyyyyys had to keep myself busy. Overall, I didnt really enjoy the experiment. I always felt bad not responding to people. Once again, however, it was a good experience.

#Day6 #12morehours

Day 6 has just about come to a close. I have found this process to become easier as the days have continued. I just had to find the right things to do with extra time. I actually studied for my Italian class, which rarely happens on a weekday. I haven't used any social media at all for a few days now, but I have to admit that I still miss it. There is about 12 hours and 40 minutes left in this experiment, and I honestly can't wait for it to end. I love to stay connected with my friends, especially with everyone away at college, so I feel like I'm just missing out on so much. Only a little bit over 12 more hours, then the social media handcuffs are coming off!

#Day4 #StayingBusy

Well, in my last post I explained that I was gonna try turning my phone off to reduce temptation. I haven't used and social media since my last post, but truth is, turning off my phone was just unrealistic for me. I use my phone way too much for contacting others and work related business. I didn't turn my phone off, but I have realized that the best form of reducing temptation is staying busy at all times. Whenever I am bored, that is when I want to use social networking the most. I have found that when Im working or doing something productive, I am not constantly looking at my phone. So for the rest of the week, I am just going to try to keep myself occupied. Let's see where it gets me!

#Day2 #Temptation

It is the end of Day 2 of my social media experiment. So far, not so good. Upon waking up this morning, I already had over 10 notifications on my phone from Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. My friends tagged me in tweets, photos, and events. Sadly, I caved in. I looked at the notifications but didn't respond. I almost felt bad not responding. I basically use these sites to keep in touch with friends, so I feel disconnected. Later on, my friend actually asked me why I didn't respond, and even though she already knew about the experiment, I had to reexplain it to her. This is a lot harder than I expected it to be. It really shows how much time I spend on my phone each day.

In order to try and reduce my temptation, I think I am going to try and turn my phone completely off unless I need it to contact someone. Not constantly looking at my phone should help. Hopefully it does. I think I will actually start right now. I'll be studying for my psychology exam, so it will decrease the distraction. Hopefully the days to come will be easier with my new methods.

#Day1 #Goodbye

It's time to cut myself off. No more social media. No more posting about every day activities. No more reading what others are doing. No more distractions. Goodbye, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

 I will be cutting myself off from the social networking sites that I use every single day. Due to my recent investment in an iPhone, apps for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have become more easily accessible. With just the touch of a button the connection to my friends and family is at my fingertips. For 6 days and 12 hours I will be testing whether or not these social networking sites cause an extreme distraction in my life. I have chosen to take this experiment upon myself to discover what other activities I can accomplish with the absence of social media. I will also be conducting a survey later on in this experiment with high school students to collect information about how often, why, and when they use social networking sites.

I began my experiment by removing every social media app from the home screen of my phone. Hopefully, this removes the most basic form of temptation. Secondly, I posted my VERY LAST tweet about the experiment- which you can see in the picture above. So far, I have been doing well. I have encountered some problems though. A friend of mine, Miriah, continues to purposely tweet me and tag me on Facebook. I haven't given in yet, but she's not making anything any easier! I am expecting to come across problems like this in the future of my experiment. I have the feeling that I may cave in at some point, but I definitely will be trying my best! Let the social media shutdown begin!