Social Media Blackout / 2021

Posted on July 5, 2021July 7, 2021 by David Hopkins

Over the years I’ve seen friends and colleagues post about taking a break from social media and have always pondered on doing this myself.

I’ve never given it my full attention, going all-out and deleting social media apps (or at least signing out of them) and not touching them for a duration. But I have taken short ‘breaks’ of a day or more not posting (but still browsing and reading).

This year, 2021, I’ve had enough. Twitter is no longer the place where I can go to read, learn, share, collaborate, and generally support my network in all things

LinkedIn has become a sales playground or has been politicised. Gone are the writings and collaborative nature of the networking platform and it’s now a poor mix of Facebook and Twitter features, but not necessarily their best features either.

Don’t get me wrong, there are some amazing people doing amazing things. They’re just lost in the increasing noise of each platform.

And then we get to the impact of lockdown and Covid, and how we in the UK are being manipulated into higher infection and death rates because the science, somehow, supports it. No. It doesn’t! (here and here and here and here – Updated with these new messages – here).

So from Friday, July 9th, when my kids finish school for the summer and I go on leave for two weeks (I get to sit in a different room, barely 10ft from my work/desk, but I’ll call it ‘annual leave’ for the sake of keeping up appearances), I’ll also be taking a well-deserved break from the nightmarish doomscrolling and inexcusably dangerous ramblings of government folly. I have to look after my physical and mental health, and that of my family’s, so I’ll be signing off from Twitter and LinkedIn, deleting both apps from my phone as well as ignoring Facebook (no app installed) and any other social media channels I use.

I need this break. I need to change the narrative of how this last year or so has impacted me and my family. I need to stop reading and hearing about the mess that the UK is being led blindly into, to stop feeling so helpless when my children are in tears because of the stress of going into a classroom when last year it wasn’t safe (and nothing’s changed!), and I need to stop getting so worked up because of the way in which no one is challenging the ineptidude of unqualified ministers and the risk to my health, my familiy’s health, and the health of all those they are meant to represent.

Jeez. even writing this has got me so worked up. Again!! But no more. I need this break. I’ll start with the two weeks of my leave (it’s not like I can go anywhere!), but I may take longer if I like it! See you soon.