Lately it seems as if some of the demons I’ve been fighting
have headed for the hills (at least for the time being) and as a result, I’m
finding myself unencumbered by many of the anxieties that kick sand in my face.
One of the effects of my being
(mostly) off anyone’s grid is that I’ve taken a hiatus from social network
comings and goings. The irony is not lost on me that I’m about to detail my
vacation from Facebook and inevitably, I’ll wax anxious about the
ever-increasing Internet convergence on this site, which is linked-in to my
Google account (which can access damn near anything from Youtube to allowing me
to comment on most any site) and God-knows-what-else-from-there. I used to
think to myself “does a person even actually exist these days if he/she doesn’t
have a Myspace account?” Now I ask myself “does anyone remember Myspace?” I was
first introduced to Myspace as a way to promote and network my musical
endeavors, which became quite successful. It was like a paradigm shifted from
the “old-fashioned” Internet where all the sites were self-contained to a
version of having everything linked together, and that was just a few years
ago. 2006 or ’07, to be more precise.
When I finally got into the cult of
Facebook, I warmed to it a little slower than most folks I knew who encouraged
my complicity. Right away, I was able to connect with bands and pickin’ buddies
that I’d not seen in awhile (much like I could on Myspace, which I was still
using a bit at the time) but the whole idea of checking it multiple times in a
single day hadn’t dawned on me yet. I started using the thing more and more in
the last couple of years and while my addiction wasn’t as harsh as some, it was
definitely there. To-do lists suddenly featured reminders to post various
thises and thats to ye olde FB. My Facebooking (years ago, I never thought I’d
use this verb) came to a head last summer when I wasn’t keeping regular contact
with a lot of folks. Instead, the world of Facebook was my window to their
goings on, up until late September.
What began as a response to an
unintentional shirking of a favor for a friend turned into an act that left
many people probably wondering if I’d kicked the bucket, joined a cult and
dropped off the map or was abducted by aliens. Yes, I’m writing of the Facebook
embargo. Not for nothing are there terms like “digital detox” existent in the
current cultural lexicon, and after I stepped away from the vampire of time
that is the Book of Face, I certainly felt the sting of withdrawal. I mean,
what was life without random FB logins to fill empty spaces? The idea of
adjusting to such madness certainly seemed daunting, but over time, I found
myself not missing the idea of being “plugged-in” to a social network. Sure,
there are many friends on Facebook whose posts I enjoy reading, but it was
beyond time due for me to go demon slaying. Being locked-into a grid of
ever-converging digital social interaction didn’t bode well for my increasing
anxieties at the time at all.
I won’t go into too deeply into
detail here. I’m sure I will at some point provide a chronicle of a difficult
fall and winter, but the nut-cut of today is this: I’m feeling a lot better.
Best I’ve felt in eons, and with better mental health I feel like I can take on
the world…or at least leave my house. Hell, I might even re-enter the world of
Facebook in the next few days, with a lengthy essay to post to assure the folks
my name is still Chris Edwards and I’ve not been in the witness protection
program, or hiding in a cave, or dumped in the desert by little green men or
whatever other outlandish theories could be hatched by those who spend too much
time on the Internet (or flipping through the magazines in the checkout line).
In the meantime, I’ve managed to
take a voyage on the Twitter comet (something I told myself I’d never do when
it first came into vogue, but is now necessary for musicians, or so I’m told)
and I’ve even managed to maintain an Instagram page, which my girlfriend began
for me. Aside from that, my sweet friend and booking agent Ms. Beth has helped
spread word about the few gigs I’ve played during my time in the wilderness and
I’ve managed to stay fairly productive while holed-up in the house, writing
music and what-not, and while I’m not quite feeling like the king of the
mountain exactly, I think 2014 will rock like boulders.
Live wrong and perspire!
-c.
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