Could you disconnect from social media for two weeks?
We asked Mashable readers to tell us why they would want to do just that, and after reviewing the answers we received, we chose five brave individuals to partake in the challenge. It's been one week since those individuals temporarily severed all social media ties, so we contacted them via email to see how they are dealing with the disconnect.
So far, their experiences have generally been positive. However, there have been a few things that make life without social media difficult. Here are some of the recurring themes the came up in their responses.
Communication Has Become More Personal
Multiple participants mentioned that they're having more one-on-one conversations with friends and family, through texts and phone calls. Andrea says, "I have some friends who have already emailed me or started texting me directly for interaction. Which I'm finding is nicer. It's a more personal connection, which is something we should strive for with people we are friends with."
One of our challenge participants even had a birthday celebration this past week. While he received more text and phones calls from friends and family, Javier says he probably missed out on at least 80% of his birthday wishes because he was not able to log on to Facebook. He added that it was a bit awkward to receive phone calls from people he normally only interacted with on Facebook or Twitter.
Missing Status Updates
Participants also reported that they missed not being able to post status updates, share photos or post to their blogs. Andrea wrote that she was at a Radiohead concert this past weekend, but wasn't able upload a photo that she was especially proud of. Vincent also lamented being unable to check in when he was flying across the country this past week — looks like he missed out on valuable Foursquare points.
Social Media Is Everywhere
The disconnect challenge has made participants realize just how much social media is integrated into almost everything online. Jaime writes, "I'm struck by how much social media permeates almost everything I do online." When she went to read an article on a news site, she noticed that there were comments and share links for every article she read.
Will People Forget About Me?
Not using social media has made communication more personal, but many challenge participants reported the fear that their acquaintances and contacts would forget about them. Natalia even worried that readers of her blog would stop following because she wouldn't be posting content for two weeks. She says, "It's quite crazy how you can 'exist' without actually seeing people in person. It's like social media created a space between reality and fiction."
Vincent describes his experience with the challenge so far. "I think it's a pretty exciting feeling right now, knowing that no one knows where I am or what I'm doing," he says. I feel like I have much more privacy and freedom than before. I would almost recommend that everyone try this at some point."
It's only been a week into the challenge, and the participants have another week to go. We are interested to see how the habits of the participants change, or don't change. Will their views on the use of social media in their everyday lives change? Check back next week for another recap of the challenge participants experiences.
Do you have any predictions for our challenge participants next week?
Javier is a young digital journalist and community manager, among other things. He wants to disconnect for two weeks to discover how he'll share his ideas and opinions with out social media.
Andrea is a hobbyist photographer who uses social media when she first wakes up in the morning and before she goes to bed. She wants to take the two-week challenge to see what kinds of things she'll get done without social media.
Vincent is a young filmmaker and marketer who uses social media for both promotional and personal uses. He sees this two-week experiment as a productive challenge.
Natalia wants to partake in this two-week challenge in order to to find inspiration in the offline world to use for her blog.
Jaime is a stay-at-home mom who uses social media every day to stay connected with her friends. She wants to take the two-week challenge to see how productive she can be and how difficult life can be without social media.
Javier is a young digital journalist and community manager, among other things. He wants to disconnect for two weeks to discover how he'll share his ideas and opinions with out social media.
Andrea is a hobbyist photographer who uses social media when she first wakes up in the morning and before she goes to bed. She wants to take the two-week challenge to see what kinds of things she'll get done without social media.
Vincent is a young filmmaker and marketer who uses social media for both promotional and personal uses. He sees this two-week experiment as a productive challenge.
Natalia wants to partake in this two-week challenge in order to to find inspiration in the offline world to use for her blog.
Jaime is a stay-at-home mom who uses social media every day to stay connected with her friends. She wants to take the two-week challenge to see how productive she can be and how difficult life can be without social media.
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