My name is Jennifer, and I am a social media addict. Ok, maybe addict is a strong word, but I reeaallly like my social media channels. I’m not exactly sure how many times a day I look at my phone, but I’m pretty sure it’s in the hundreds. My right thumb is constantly numb from using it so much. So when I heard about the upcoming romantic comedy on ABC called “Selfie,” I knew I wasn’t alone because someone was making a show out of our obsession with our smart phones and social media!
In a nutshell, “Selfie” follows social media obsessed Eliza Dooley who loses some of that personal contact with her peers and friends because she is constantly attached to her phone. She wants to do better though by giving up “likes” to be liked and learn to live in the real world. And let’s face it, we could all benefit from a day of living in the moment and getting our heads out of our…clouds!! After watching the “Selfie” sneak peeks here, I could relate in a big way to Eliza and falling into the trap of wanting to feel the social media love in order to find your self worth.
So since this show is all Eliza learning to live in the moment rather than always capturing it with a phone, I decided to participate in my own social media cleanse. I took a personality quiz which figured out what type of cleanse I should take and it turned out I was a “Mobile Maniac.” This is a person who tends to enjoy my phone during meals (rather than the person across from me) and I’ve been injured before due to looking at my phone and not paying attention (yes I’ve walked into a door frame before many times and stepped on Legos barefoot which really hurts). I also tend to panic when I can’t find my phone in a 5 minute span.
- I woke my kids up, made their breakfasts and school lunches, and got them dressed and ready for school in a record amount of time. I believe this happened because I didn’t waste time checking Twitter for my morning news or clicking on Instagram to see what people were having for breakfast or what they had done the night before. We also had some lovely morning conversations that stemmed from not being rushed.
- I took a Zumba class and had lunch with my best friend of 30 years. It was nice to not be on a treadmill where I usually get bored which ends in me looking at my phone to pass the time and not truly breaking a sweat. And then lunch was wonderful because I didn’t once pull out my phone to do or look at anything. My girlfriend and I had an honest to God juicy conversation and it was nice to be completely focused on her rather than wanting to photograph my lovely chicken salad plate that seemed worthy of Instagramming.
- I went to the doctors office and read an actual magazine in the waiting room. When was the last time you read a real print magazine?? I gave Garden And Gun a chance, and surprisingly found it to be a very good read!
- I took my daughter to the park and actually PLAYED with her! Usually I’ll find a bench and flip through Facebook to see what everyone is up to, but this time I got involved. I could tell she even enjoyed it more to have mom be silly and swing and slide with her. So ok, I did take our “selfie” to commemorate the moment but didn’t share it with anyone (until now)!
- I went to sleep quickly and peacefully without staring at the bright screen light of my phone in my bed. I feel asleep knowing I had been present today, and it felt good.
Do I feel guilty after my cleanse for getting back into my social media routine? Not really. I truly enjoy social media. But it did make me realize that a break from it every now and then can be a good and necessary thing to recharging your way of thinking and communicating with people when it really counts, like meals and park time with my kids! One of the best quotes from this show is, “It’s not how many followers you have, it’s how many friends you have.” It’s easy to get excited by how many thumbs up I got on my Facebook post, but it’s a lot more exciting to see smiles from my friends and kids when I look them in the eyes and not through my iPhone camera.
Be sure to tune into the premiere of “Selfie” on ABC, Tuesday September 30th, at 8pm/7pm central. I think we will all be cheering for Eliza to find a good balance with her real relationships and her social media relationships!
*Disclosure : This post was sponsored by ABC through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select. While I was compensated to write a post about ABC Selfie, all opinions are honest and my own.*
