Reasons to love or hate a social media holiday

I fly to China for work on Saturday and will be behind the "Great Firewall of China" for a week. I won't be able to access my Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or YouTube accounts (legally).

This is freaking me out a little, so I thought I'd lay out some pros and cons of taking a social media holiday.







Reasons to celebrate a social media holiday 

I can experience life uninterrupted
I can't remember what it was like to spend a day without at least a peek at Twitter or a quick update to Facebook. Without the distractions of my social media life I can appreciate what's happening around me in real time, without the need to tell the world about it.

I can text updates into Facebook and Twitter
I won't be able to access my Twitter or Facebook while I'm there, but I can text in some updates every so often to remind the world I'm still alive. I can intrigue and delight people with my witty and elusive references to what's happening around me. This is an opportunity to refine my social copywriting skills!

It was good enough for Galactica
The Battlestar Galactica had no networked computer systems, the technology on the ship was deliberately compartmentalised to avoid the messy problems caused by Cylon hacking. I should think of myself as the Galactica, cut off from the networks around me. Solitary yet strong. So say we all!


Reasons to freak out about a social media holiday 

I'll miss important things 
I rely on the people I follow on Twitter to tell me what's important in the news, in fandom, in life. If I can't see what they're saying for an entire week I'll miss out on something really really important. And when I get back I'll feel like a Twitter newbie all over again.

I'll have no one to share my excitement with
If you've read any of my fandom posts on here you'll know I can get very excited about things. I'm spending a week somewhere that will remind me of Firefly on a daily, if not hourly, basis and when I see something particularly shiny I'll want to share it with the world. But I won't be able to do this, and it will make me sad.

I'll come back to a giant mass of social content 
When I get back and attempt to catch up with what's been going on I'll get grumpy at all the content I have to look at. My daily dose of random videos, pictures, reviews, news snippets et al will morph into a terrifying and soul-destroying stream of stuff that brings me misery rather than joy.


As you might expect, I'm influenced more by the reasons to freak out than the reasons to celebrate. I think this is mostly driven by the Firefly references I'll want to make, and perhaps having an Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom moment driving to/from Shanghai airport ("Okey dokey Doctor Jones, hold onto your potataoes!"). And I'm bound to see some Bladerunner around me...

Just when I was feeling even more unhappy that my fandom moments would have to be saved up until I get back I found something to make me smile. This Lego version of the infamous poison/antidote scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is awesome.

I'll just MTFU* and get on with enjoying my visit to China. Social media can wait until I get back.




* MTFU = "man the f**k up"