You Don’t Need To Apologise For Being Offline

Until recently, the concepts of offline and online were not in existence. In fact, they are barely 100 years old. In the 1920s, the rail and telegraph industries used offline and online to check a rail track’s signal status. Even with the invention of the internet in the 1960s, switching off and not being connected to any form of social network only really took off this millennium. People started growing up with the internet and social media at their fingertips. The online world continues to grow, with the ability to connect with others on global scale at the press of a button and swipe of a touchscreen.

As the internet expands, so has the use of social media in careers, blogs, influencing, communication, you name it. Being online has become the norm.

When you feel like you need a break from the hyperconnectivity and endless timelines of content, a digital detox is a good place to start – aka living in a screen-free world for a period of time.

Even when you decide to switch off though, I increasingly see people announce it. It’s as if we feel the need to let people know we aren’t going to be online and have to pop up a tweet or Instagram post such as:

“I’m switching off for the weekend.”

“Alright folks, I’m going offline for a bit, see ya soon.”

“Not available at the moment, I’m having a digital detox.”

When you don’t do that ‘warning’ post, you then end up going online and apologising for not being active or giving an explanation as to why you weren’t on social media.

Here’s the thing though. You don’t need to apologise for being offline.

Humans have existed for millions of years and during the majority of that time, being offline was normal. In fact, offline wasn’t even a thing. It was just life and it’s still ok if you want to have time offline now. You don’t need to explain yourself.

Even if your work involves social media, which many jobs do now, we all have lives and things that happen which mean sharing content online isn’t our first priority. Likewise, with hustle culture bigger than ever, social media has brought with it a pressure to constantly ‘show up’. To be active 24/7, respond to messages every minute of the day and post X times a day according to some algorithm.

If you aim to do this non-stop, you will burn out and will miss the life going on right in front of you.

How a chronic illness brought new perspective to my time online

Since receiving a Crohn’s Disease diagnosis, I further noticed the impact that always showing up online had on me. It requires energy which, from someone who experiences chronic fatigue regularly, is a precious commodity. Not only is energy needed for creating and posting content, but also to navigate how I use social media more widely. The kind of content I consume and how it makes me feel. 

I love that social media provides a platform to raise awareness for the issues important to you, share positive, uplifting content, and connect with friends. In the time of a pandemic and living with a chronic illness, this is much appreciated. With the vast nature of social media though, you can also stumble upon triggering and upsetting content and it takes energy to not let that intrude your mind.

It’s ok to have days when you need a break and just want to enjoy life through your own eyes. It’s ok to have things in your life which you don’t want to share online. It’s ok to just not be in the mood or not want to be online because your chronic illness is flaring.

Having spells of time offline shouldn’t be something unusual. It is how people have lived for millions of years and there’s no reason to feel guilty or embarrassed about that. Never apologise for being offline.