Guilty!

Image: here 

By now I am sure that you have seen the 5-minute video "Look Up" that has made a few bloggers (at least in my blogroll!) take a step back and think about social media, how they use it, and HOW OFTEN they use it. It certainly did that for me! If you haven't seen the video, please take 5-minutes now and do yourself that favorite and check it out here.

It is truly amazing how often a person can be caught looking down at a screen, not paying attention to what's going on around them. It's also amazing how much we miss when doing this! As a blogger, I know that I am so very guilty of constantly checking my email on my phone to see if I have any new comments, or how when silence hits when I am with someone my go-to move is to whip out my phone and see what is happening on Facebook or Twitter. How did I let this happen to myself??? I don't know about you, but I do think that it is a problem that personal, face-to-face conversation is not what it used to be!

This video did make an impact on how I view technology and social media. I have made a few promises to myself, not to completely cut it out because that is nearly impossible but to limit my use of it. For one, I have deleted Twitter and Facebook apps from my phone. That is the worst right there--having those apps with you on the go ensures that you are pretty much connected 24/7. This also limits how often I look down at my screen in order to combat a silence in a conversation...now I actually have to talk! Now the blog. I obviously love blogging! But it does take up some time. Here's my compromise. Once...only one part of the day will I dedicate to the blog and blog-related activities. Everything will be done in the morning with my morning cup. The rest of the day is blog-free.

If everyone takes steps to limit their tech and social media use and takes sometime to look up we can learn that we don't need to rely on it so much to entertain us and get us through the day. There is so much else around us that we have not paid much attention to that can do that job instead!

<3 Ashley

Have you seen the video? What are your thoughts? Does it change how you view social media and technology?

Also...anyone else see the irony in the post following a post devoted to my Pinterest addiction?? It's a process people! One step at a time.

A Love Letter To Pinterest

Dear Pinterest,

A couple of years ago we embarked on a relationship that--to be honest--I did not think would last too long. There are lots of other social media sites that I am on like Facebook and Twitter that recently I have begun to not see as much of. But you...you I have been seeing a bit more. I find myself organizing boards, putting them in a specific order and picking cover photos that are the most visually appealing and work well with the other board cover photos.

You have always been there for me when I have needed inspiration or needed something to do. You are there for me on rainy days, slow days, and days when I need a break or a little distraction from what I should be doing. Even five minutes turns into an hour and a half with you. You always know what I want to see--beautiful, colorful and inspired photos and quotes paint your homepage just waiting for me to scroll through and choose what I see fit for my own boards. You have become a very creative, calming and therapeutic activity for me. What I'm trying to say is...I appreciate you, and thank you.

Here's to many more years together!

<3 Ashley

Haha! Okay...so it's not an extreme relationship that I have with Pinterest, but it is very therapeutic sometimes! Are you on Pinterest? Follow my boards here.

A Little Disconnect

The view of downtown from the Monongahela Incline this weekend.

Peek-a-boo! I really do apologize that I have so many of these silent periods anymore. For some reason it has been so difficult for me to get organized and get my thoughts together. But I'm working on it, I promise! It is not entirely a bad thing though. Through the past week I have been generally inactive on most of my social media. I mean, it helps that I have had reading and assignments galore for classes. What I'm saying is, it's been a nice little period of disconnect for me. I've been trying to look at my phone less and enjoy my quiet, down time and take some more time to experience the world around me. This past weekend I got the chance to get off campus and spend an evening (dinner included!) downtown. It was definitely well-deserved, I think, after all of the stress I have experienced lately. I didn't get the position on campus that I interviewed for; however, I'm over that now...there are other opportunities to get involved! I have also been blazing through my most recent read, "Where'd You Go, Bernadette?" so expect a new Book Club post soon! Hopefully, I can back on the blogging horse again. But please be patient with me. :)

<3 Ashley

How have you been lately?

I'll Tumblr For Ya

Image: here

About 2 years ago I created a Tumblr account (like everyone else) and was fairly active on it, though no where near my activity on Pinterest! I didn't last too long on Tumblr though. I didn't really know what to do with it. I just kinda reblogged pretty pictures and didn't look back on them. Then this year my roommate told me about how she is a religious user of the site and uses it as her online diary reblogging inspirational quotes and pictures often reflecting her mood and what is going on in her life. I thought this was an interesting way to use the site. So I've decided to give it another go! I've started back up on Tumblr again, though I'm still not as consistent with posting. It is kind of therapeutic to go on a quote posting spree and then go back through and see some great words to live by. 

<3 Ashley

Do you use Tumblr? What do you use it for?

The Effects of Social Media

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I feel like anymore I get inspiration for topics by scrolling through my blog feed. I came upon Jenni's post today on Story of My Life for Blogtember and felt a need to put in my two cents: How has social media and blogging effected your life?

An excellent question, I think! Social media has made communicating and sharing information these day so fast and easy. It is also a lot easier to reach more of a mass audience if that's what you're looking to do. But there are some effects that it's had on me that I would like to maybe reverse a little. I think the new found ability to share pictures and what I am doing have made me less of a private person; I used to pride myself on keeping things to myself. It's nice to have some memories just for yourself right? So I am starting to pull back--just a little--on instagramming and tweeting.

On the other hand, I was also a very shy person. Communicating through social media is so much easier since you're not exactly talking face-to-face with your subject. While my confidence isn't totally through the roof, blogging and social media have certainly helped me in pooling my ideas and delivering them in a way that I am satisfied with. Social media does still have both its pros and cons but I do have to thank all the platforms that I am a part of for giving me a launching pad on which to voice my opinions and interests.

<3 Ashley

How has social media/blogging effected your life?