Less social media, more social nourishment

I've never been a big fan of social media, mostly because I've always enjoyed my privacy and my offscreen time. When I launched the cookbook, I knew I had to "go social" due to the nature of the project. I opened all social accounts for the book and forced myself to post continuously, sharing the ins and outs of the project as much as possible to build momentum. Looking back, it was a great tool, but I can't say it filled my expectations, considering the amount of time that it took.

Once the book was out, no surprise, the posting rhythm slowed down, and I progressively went back to my offscreen self. Six months after the launch, I deleted the Facebook and Twitter apps from my phone and left all my accounts slightly dormant– only checking them once a week on my computer. For some reason, there's the expectation that we need to be "always available" and "always online," but the more time online, the less time to create, learn and experience real life.

Since I stopped using my social accounts, I couldn't help but think of the phrase "ignorance is bliss." It may not sound very optimist, but by being ignorant about what other people are doing, I started doing more things myself. I stopped spending time "getting up to date" on social media, and I started being more time outdoors, reading books, listening to podcasts, learning, creating, working on new projects, talking to strangers and travelling. I might be missing out on a lot of stuff, but I feel happy, I'm creating again, and I'm living life!

Lately, I've been also feeling the need to write, so I might start sending quick thoughts and updates on new projects to all of you directly. I'll start focusing less on social media, and more on direct connections with you lovely people. I'll value more my offscreen time (and yours), so don't worry, I won't write too often or too long. And hopefully, one day I’ll be able to take the best parts of it to print, so others would be able to read it on their offscreen time.

"The difference between technology and slavery is that slaves are fully aware that they're not free." – Nassim Nicholas Taleb

You can send me an email to alieska.robles@gmail.com with your comments and also write about how you spend your offscreen time. I'd love to hear directly from you and hopefully meet you in person one day (if I haven't yet)!