Disconnect...

Given the pervasiveness of social media, trying to carry through the idea of "just unplug" is not as easy as it might seem.

And some of us find it challenging to "put down the technology" for the very good reason that our work — our way of generating income — is directly connected to the online world.

As a writer, and book editor, and eBay marketer I have pretty much no way around having to be "connected" for many hours a day. As part of that, I face the uncomfortable reality that when I choose to unplug, the money stops flowing.

And, sadly, we live in a world where just about everything "costs" in one way or another!

Whether we can actually find the ability to disconnect or not, there's a different part of "disconnect" that I often observe: It is the stark disconnect between the perceived ways of the world through the lens of social media commentators, and the actual reality most people experience on a daily basis.

Take, as an example, the whole business of love, partnering and family.

If we were to believe online pundits, the world of dating and mating is a hopeless minefield and pretty much everyone — unless you're a ridiculously amazing human being — can look forward to a frustrating life of solitude because nobody in the world seems able to live up to anybody else's standards and expectations.

And yet? When I walk through the local supermarket, there are lots of partnered people in their 20's and 30's, and many of them have kids in tow... quite a different reality from the one portrayed by aforesaid podcasters.

And I know quite a few people of "dating age" and truth of their experiences seem to be that the ones who are primarily struggling to find love are also the ones who rely primarily on online dating and the slightly twisted sense of reality that comes with it.

And it is twisted, I fear. Not because the online "experts" have ill intent, but more likely because their approach is as much informed by the need to get page views, as it is by the need to convey accurate information.

Case in point, a woman I know — in her late 20's — frustrated and angry at the endless stream of "useless men" from various online dating sites... and about two months after she started volunteering at the local Animal Shelter she met "Mr. Wonderful" there... who knows virtually nothing about technology (still carries a flip phone!) but knows a lot about how to be a good person.

I suppose the moral of the story here is that we need to learn to be discerning about where we choose to plug into our sense of reality!

It's one of the reasons why I tend to "disconnect" more often than most... otherwise we run the risk of making our lives excessively contingent on ideas that aren't actually representative of the real world around us!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week ahead!

How about YOU? Do you take time to unplug? Do you find that there is often a gaping chasm between "the world" as portrayed via social media, and "the world" as it unfolds around you? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — Not posted elsewhere!)

Created at 2026.01.04 18:25 PST
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