Noticed Michael McDowell's Silence on Twitter & Facebook?

If you're a fan of Michael McDowell's and happen to miss the news bite, you might be wondering why he hasn't said anything on the social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook.  Michael is taking a break from the frenzy of social media, that's all.

Turns out that after a rather productive Bible study group with some other drivers and their family, Michael thought he'd fast from tweeting!

As he put it, the social media outlets or venues are like an addiction.  You want to see what family and friends are doing or saying.  If you're a celebrity, you want to keep your fans or following up to speed on news and events in your professional life.

But he also noted that you miss the math and how much time you end up burning while tackling your social media fixation or responsibilities.

And if you step back you'll see that he's not that far wrong.

And to make sure he sticks to his guns regarding his "fast," McDowell has gone so far as to delete the apps from his phone.

(But he does have an automated process in place that tweets Bible verses every day.)

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And a good point is being made, for whatever the reason.

Some impromptu surveys show many folks check their social media on a daily schedule, while others check a few times a day and even hourly.  I write about things that catch my eye, and so I almost fall into the hourly category.  But it's for a business-like purpose.

And a University of Chicago study findings suggested that only sleep and sex are stronger drives than social media checking.

We encounter it all the time.  Head out to eat, to wait for the bus, walking and even in the most annoying environment, during movies.  People are always head down and absorbing what their phones have to tell them.

In a study by Edison Research, looking at just over 2,000 folks, 22% of their survey testers checked their social networks several times a day, while 15% did it once a day.  (Once a day seems reasonable actually.)  12% did it once a week.  While 40% of their respondents never checked on the sites.

Some folk are even known to be checking their social accounts first thing in the morning.  But the caveat there in my mind is that is how they get their morning news, so hence, not as unhealthy of a premise.  The classic morning routine used to be coffee and the paper.  Now it's coffee and the phone attached to some news source.

And then there's the vacations I've taken.  Sometimes my vacations take me to mountain cabins with no service or connection to the world.  It takes me a day or so, but then I settle in and enjoy living my life again and not being tethered to my laptop or phone.  Though, to be honest, I don't take enough vacations.

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For Michael McDowell, he's reconnecting to what's important to him and he sets a great example.  But dang...  once the Daytona 500 kicks it in gear on February 24th, we'll all be piling in and checking FB or Twitter for our sports updates, just like the rest of the user!

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