When I was about ten years old, my dad had a computer running Windows 3.1.
Like a lot of kids growing up in the early ’90s, I was fascinated.
I spent hours exploring software, learning how things worked, and wondering what computers would eventually become. That curiosity never really went away. It eventually led me into a career in product management, UX, and technology.
So when people hear me say that I’m not much of a fan of social media, they’re sometimes surprised.
I’m not anti-technology. Quite the opposite. I just think we’ve blurred the line between using technology and being used by it.
I Keep Coming Back…Then Leaving Again
Over the years, I’ve developed a pattern. I’d download a social media app. Use it for a while. Eventually realize it was occupying more attention than I wanted to give it. Delete it.
Life would continue just fine. In many ways, deleting the app felt like opening a window in a stuffy room. I didn’t miss it nearly as much as I expected.
Then Life Changed
Moving to St. Croix changed that routine. Some of the communities here organize events almost entirely through Facebook. Local businesses post updates there first. Announcements appear there before anywhere else.
In other words…
Some social media platforms have become part of the local infrastructure.
I don’t particularly enjoy that reality, but it’s the reality nonetheless.
So instead of choosing whether to use social media, the question became:
How do I use it without letting it use me?
The Research Is Catching Up
A recent Washington Post article highlighted research showing that even relatively short breaks from social media can improve sustained attention, mental well-being, and other measures of cognitive performance. Some researchers compared the improvement in attention to reversing roughly a decade of age-related decline on certain cognitive measures.
Whether or not the headline overstates the effect, the broader takeaway is compelling:
Our brains seem to benefit from fewer interruptions.
That doesn’t surprise me.
The Attention Economy
Most social media companies aren’t competing for your money. They’re competing for your attention.
Every notification.
Every badge.
Every suggested video.
Every endless feed.
Each one asks for “just another minute.”
Individually they seem harmless. Collectively they become the background noise of everyday life.
I Don’t Think the Answer Is Deleting Everything
Some people thrive after deleting every social platform. That’s great. I don’t think that’s necessary—or even realistic—for everyone.
For me, the goal isn’t elimination. It’s intentionality.
Can I use a platform because I decided to, rather than because it interrupted me?
That’s a much healthier relationship with technology.
The Technology I Love
Here’s the irony. I genuinely love technology.
I love cameras.
I love AI.
I love well-designed software.
I love discovering new hardware.
Technology has shaped both my career and many of my hobbies. But the technology I appreciate most usually has one thing in common:
It helps me create. Social media often encourages me to consume. There’s a difference.
My New Rule
I’ve stopped asking:
“How much time did I spend on social media?”
Instead I ask:
“Was there a reason I opened it?”
If the answer is yes, great. If I can’t remember why I picked up my phone…that’s usually my cue to put it back down.
Technology is one of the greatest tools we’ve ever created.
I’d just rather spend my attention building with it than endlessly scrolling through it.
