The social life: Keep calm, carry on off-line

Perhaps we all need to disconnect to reconnect with each other. Photo/Thinkstock

Two things struck me this week in the world of social media.

One, if you are a big fan of a huge television series then you are going to have to plan social media breaks to avoid spoilers.

Two, there are some spots of civilised New Zealand where you have to learn where you have to stand in order to get a signal and possibly, just possibly, use your data and access the internet.

Last Tuesday, our office was abuzz with talk of Game of Thrones, what will happen in that night's episode? Of course for readers of the books it wasn't such a huge surprise, but not everyone has read the enormous tome that is GOT. One colleague was such.

It's at times like these when you realise how much time you spend on Twitter, albeit in small bursts.

Normality was resumed once the show was screened that night, though other time zones were still awaiting the screening - imagine the Twitter blackout in action in Europe where they have to wait even longer ...

Over Easter, I went out of town visiting family.

It's always nice to get away, especially so when there's no internet.

It made it quite difficult to keep in touch with the news in Rotorua, especially with the stormy weather that hit. My phone was able to receive updates on our Facebook page - there was lots of pinging as readers commented on links shared - but being able to visit Facebook?

It was like being back in the days of dial-up when you could make yourself a coffee between pages.

You also had to pick your position, sitting in the lounge bay window was top spot.

That said, having terrible reception, no Wifi and no TV meant there was plenty of time for social media old skool - talking around the kitchen table, playing real scrabble and sharing experiences together.

Maybe we all need a little break once in a while.