Over the December and January break, I did something I hadn’t done in a while: I took a break from social media, particularly Instagram. While there’s no denying that the work I do relies heavily on a social media presence, I felt that, for the first time in 2024, being able to take more than a week off was an opportunity to be present and in the moment. I didn’t want to feel the urge or compulsion to post a picture of my turkey (well, that’s a lie – I cooked duck and chicken).
I’ve been off Twitter for the past couple of years, and my God, I’m so glad about that. The place is as toxic as hell. When I say “off Twitter – or rather X” – I mean I barely post and only check my account monthly, if that. I used to get so lost scrolling, trying to get to the bottom of “he said, she said” threads, only to realise I’d lost not just minutes but sometimes hours. Like many of you reading this, I’m busy, and while I’m not declaring that every minute should be spent working, ticking off house chores, or fulfilling family or friend commitments, there must be something better I could do with my time than scrolling through Elon Musk’s cesspit called X.