Cuba taught me why it’s good to unplug from Social Media

Havana, Cuba
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I was away for a while. Away from Toronto. Away from blogging. And away from SOCIAL MEDIA. It was a relief!

Don’t get me wrong, I love social media, heck, I work in social media, but it can consume your life, and that’s when it gets bad. Sometimes, you get so caught up in sharing every aspect of your life that you forget to actually enjoy it. And my recent travels to Cuba reminded me of how nice it is to unplug.

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On the first day of 2014, I sat on the roof of my apartment in Havana, reflecting on how much more genuine life felt without the pressures of social media. I had been in Cuba for a week and I didn’t have any internet access…eek. The first couple of days were difficult for me since I couldn’t do anything with my smartphone and that made me anxious. Then one day during dinner, as I exchanged stories with friends, I noticed my phone was on the table. It made me uncomfortable, even a little embarrassed, so I slowly reached for it and put it away.

Fast forward to being back in Toronto for one week, as I was commuting home after work I saw two musicians playing beautifuly on the subway and the crowd’s reaction caught my attention. As I looked around, everyone had their phones out recording videos and taking photos. They were too busy documenting what was happening that they weren’t actually enjoying the performance.

I thought to myself, “what is this obsession?” Will it be better to watch it online later? Are likes and comments more valuable than being present? I don’t want to be like that.

Now I realize why that day when I was having dinner with friends in Cuba it felt good to get rid of my phone. I was fully present there, enjoying the experience and my smartphone was a distraction. I now firmly believe that we need to learn to disconnect more often.

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  1. mytravelresources says

    Social Media can be very practical and also very annoying. Judgement has to play a role on how and when to use it. Specially if you are on a leisure trip. I ahve seen too many people over the past few years not enjoying the destination but looking at a smartphone screen. I feel sad for them.

  2. Andrea says

    Hi Lorenzo, I couldn’t agree with you more! I love social media too but I realize how it can steal moments from us that no video or picture can quite capture and it also can cause us to think too much about what others will say or think. Good post!

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