My First Forray into Blogging aka Escaping The Matrix

So, I will be completely honest. Doing this right now makes me feel like Doug from the show,...well, Doug. Or Disney's Doug for those who subjugated themselves into that nightmare fever dream. What's crazy about this experience is that maybe a few years ago, my life revolved around social media. It was all about being on Snapchat, Facebook (being one of those who had it in college when you needed a college email to access it), Instagram, Twitter etc. The only thing that I was always hesitant to use was TikTok because I had reached my internal limit to the social media accounts that I had for myself. 

I always wanted to be someone who had information and could share that information with others. Call it the Mass Communication major in me, but I love just knowing and sharing things. Especially if they spark an interest for me. It was also a way to communicate and update my life to others. People who I haven't physically seen in years I could still talk to like we see each other every day. In my life, social media went into being something that my friends and I used to find out what parties were happening on campus or whether someone was interested in you (I don't miss the "Poke" days of Facebook). Hell, I remember the Top 8 of MySpace...that's a totally different conversation.

Then, something happened...it became available to everyone. It was weird when my mom requested to be my friend on Facebook...you can't deny that request. But then it became a soundboard to everyone, where opinion would blend into facts, or vice versa. It wasn't just about sharing information with those you were close with, but now you were available to everything. Then, with Instagram and Snapchat, it became about the flex. You had to take a picture of every food you ate, every concert you've been to, every person you met. I couldn't tell you how badly I wanted to break every selfie stick I saw at Universal or Disney. There wasn't an age gap, or race or gender segregation, it didn't matter. Social media was a choice that was available everyone, not just the cool kids. I mean, I met my wife on the dating social media app Tinder. It was just a way of life. It was the rise of Influencers, and created a revenue lane that wasn't seen before. But I never notice how much of a way of life it had become and almost the only way to live until Covid happened.

When we were stuck in our homes and had to social distance, it was social media that kept us together. Or drove us apart in some cases. It allowed people the opportunity to show others their world and truly connect with others in ways they never could have imagined. For me, it allowed me to start a YouTube channel and connect with my friends. I could create content with people in our respective homes from across the country. We were seeing information be spread in real time from our screens. Think about it, there is a generation of children who only know this way of life. I have a 7 year old who uses her free time to FaceTime with her friends and play Roblox together. When I was her age, I was going to a friend's house and climbing a tree if we couldn't be inside to play their PlayStation and watch Dragon Ball Z. It's different world.

I say all this to say, as of December 2023, I have been social media free (except YouTube). And I don't mean I deleted the apps but still have accounts. The accounts I have had for years (Facebook since 2006) have all been deleted. For transparency, my dependency of social media had sent down a toxic rabbit hole that ruin my relationship in 2021. When my wife and I reconciled, she asked me to get rid of the accounts. I fought initially because it was my life. But I eventually obliged and deleted the accounts. And like that, I was unplugged. No longer at the whim to see what was going on with my favorite topics, no longer able to communicate with those who I couldn't call on my cell phone. My way of life was completely upended. But it wasn't over.

Now I feel like Neo from the Matrix (see what I did there, it's called "tying it all together"). A world where everyone is plugged in and I am not. A world where I don't have to know about the latest trend or challenge as soon as it happens. A world where if I need to know something, I actually have to look it up and research. It's been a journey as of May 2025. I haven't felt the urge to be on Instagram or Facebook, in fact, I have taken less pictures of events I've been to or food I have eaten. I realize I am actually enjoying them again. My wife still uses it and she will tell me what's going on, but I can choose whether I care about it or not. 

This isn't a knock on social media. I love what social media has done for me in my life. The friends I have made, the experiences I have had, all came from it in one way or another. As I continue blogging, I want to discuss everything related to how to live in world that is completely online. But I wanted to open myself a little bit before we get started. So with that being said, now that I have your attention, welcome to Greg...Unplugged.