Experiment

Yesterday, I started thinking about all the things I do on a consistent basis in terms of social networking, things for which I've earned a reputation.. like taking pictures of the sky, clouds, rainbows, etc., long-arm pictures, being signed into AIM, facebook, gchat and almost any other chat venue all the time, being only a text away... texting when I have literally nothing to say. Essentially, being in contact with one or more people in a virtual setting in a constant bid for interaction. Once, and this was like 5 years ago and I still have not lived it down, I texted Reed to tell him that I was eating cheetos.

I get crap for doing all of these things... but I started to think yesterday what people's perceptions would be if I just suddenly stopped doing them. What if an entire week went by without me sending a text or posting a status or picture or being signed into a chat engine. What would happen? People would probably think something had happened to me.

Here's the thing though... in this day and age, it's kind of impossible to have interactions with other people without these options. If I limited myself even just to phone calls, that cuts out probably everyone except my mom and the few friends I would need to call to make actual plans to visit. I want to try this but, for me especially, it's a big sacrifice. No... big is not the word. Huge. Mammoth. I feel like staying away from facebook would be difficult but it's less necessary for day to day plan-making. And there would have to be rules. Can I respond to texts that are sent by others first? Can I send texts that are for the sole purpose of making plans? No. That would totally defeat the purpose. Can I get on facebook through my phone just to check up on people? No.

Here's another thing? Who is going to monitor my progress? If you think I'm strong enough to do this on my own with no supervision, you must not know me very well. Without someone watching me to make sure I don't cheat, I'd make it maybe a day. But then if I do enlist someone to watch me, wouldn't it have to be someone I see in person? Because I can't very well have someone TEXTING me to make sure I'm not texting, or writing on my wall to make sure I'm not cheating on facebook, can I? No... I'm actually asking... can I do that?

And then what would I do with all these hours that would otherwise be spent at a computer or texting quickly with my thumb? What the hell would I do with myself? I can already tell you that I'd want to be with people out doing something. I rarely if ever feel a need to be completely by myself and have quiet. I don't like quiet. Even now as I sit here, there's music playing. What would I do?

Maybe what I should do is just start small. No facebook feels almost like an unattainable goal. How do I limit myself in that way? I think I could handle not sending texts; I'll just conveniently leave my phone where I don't have access to it. But then what if a day or two goes by and no one is looking for me. What if it doesn't worry anyone that my facebook status hasn't been updated in more than a day or two days. Is the fear of a non-reaction why I haven't tried this before? Ew. Dane. Come on, girl.

Okay so here's how it's gonna go. No AIM, which will suck. No facebook, which will ALSO suck. Only responding to texts initiated by others but only as a means of minimally necessary communication. Ugh, I already don't like it.

I just reread this and I feel like it makes me seem a little crazy. I promise I'm not. Merely curious. So please don't text me.... but if you like me.... text me anyway.