Like many people these days, I find myself using social media far too much. I don’t do Facebook, although I do have a redundant account. My vice is Twitter. My @seankuk account currently has exactly 11,100 tweets. To some, this round figure may be impressive. It is, however, a little shameful.

I know I am not the only one guilty of allowing Facebook, Twitter and the likes to play a part of my life. Many people I know are frequently checking their phones for what so-and-so has tweeted or what Jack has messaged Jill about on Facebook. Let’s face it, most of what is posted is bollocks, and the world isn’t going to stop turning if we don’t find out what has been written.

I have come to this somewhat radical realisation after watching this video. A video which has ironically gone viral on social media.

I am therefore going to try and give myself a Twitter ban. Well, it’s not a ban. I did think about deleting the app entirely from my phone, but thought better of it. Social media can be bad. I don’t like the way I aimlessly check my phone, laptop or iPad for nothing. That is what I want to stop. However, there are uses for it.

Social media can be a good means of staying in touch with friends and family for genuine reasons. For example, I have been using both Facebook and Twitter to help with preparations for my wedding.

Less importantly, Twitter is also excellent for checking football scores, so I’ll use it for that. Therefore, a little reluctantly, I’ll retain my accounts, but will only access them if I have a real purpose to do so. Not because I am bored, not because I have just woken up/about to go to bed and certainly not to see who has poked who (not that I ever did that!). To help me be disciplined in my self-imposed Twitter restrictions, I have placed the app right at the end of my iPhone, making it difficult to find!

I will keep my blog updated. Some may disagree, but I do not see this as social media. A blog is effectively diary and a record of one’s life. It is possible to put a lot of thought and love into a blog. I don’t know how many people read my blog. It may only be two or three. Very little compared to the amount of followers I have on Twitter, who may read what I tweet in under 140 characters. I know for certain that my blog is read. I know this because I read it. I can see how this could come across as a little egotistical, but I read what I have posted from months and years ago. I am proud to have kept this blog going for over a decade and hope to be blogging for many more decades to come.