I'm Doing Something Drastic
because my attention is sacred
Friends.
I’m doing something drastic in 2026 - I am cutting the cord on my personal social media use.
Yes, you read that correctly:
Cutting.
The.
Cord.
… drastic, like I said. And I’m starting TOMORROW, one week before Christmas.
Now - this isn’t a “look at me, I’m not going to be on social media!” type of post. Instead, because of the virtual friendships I’ve made as a result of my OLD blog (“Morning Encouragement” - some of you have been around since then!), podcast, books, art, etc. I wanted to give a peek behind the curtain of what led to this drastic choice and let you know where I can be found on the interwebs (because I’m not ghosting you!).
Anyways.
I will continue to post for my social media roles with Bart Ehrman and Alexander John Shaia, of course (and so my personal accounts will be “active” so that I can continue to manage their pages).
But.
For me?
Personally?
I need a break from it all.
For starters (#1), a few weeks ago I watched as a friend had her character, work, and ideas torn to shreds by an angry mob of commenters (many of which were her friends, people who previously “praised” her every word when she spoke of ideas they agreed with, made them feel comfortable, etc). She posted something that felt very “out of character” for her and raised a few eyebrows (it made me feel uncomfortable too), but rather than recognize the good work she’s done and ask some questions about why she wrote what she wrote, how she came to her conclusions, to clarify her statements, etc.
Well.
Instead.
She was attacked with venomous energy and within a matter of hours cancelled by her (very progressive/liberal) friends, collegues, publisher, etc.
Sigh.
But - this is becoming the norm on social media, isn’t it? We (I include myself in this statement 100%) see something we “disagree with” or come across ideas that make us feel uncomfortable and rather than ask some questions or seek some clarity, our first inclination (far too often) is to attack, judge, critique, etc. It’s like we HAVE to say something, we HAVE to insert our 2 cents, we HAVE to make sure our view is seen and heard above and beyond all others, we HAVE to defend, we HAVE to attack, we HAVE to “put people in their place”.
Defensive.
Attack.
Defensive.
Attack.
And like I said - WE. I see it in myself ALL the time. I can’t tell you how many times a week I come across a comment that leads me to slam on my keyboard for 30 minutes until I finally come to my senses, realize I’m responding with anger and judgment and (yes) hatred … and then delete my response so that I can either (1) keep scrolling or (2) replace my scathing reply that was meant to put down, shame, and “teach” with some compassionate questions that simply seek to understand.
Again - SIGH.
I admit, I’ve used my words as weapons many times in the past as both a fundamentalist and a progressive when I felt that I HAD to say something, HAD to express my point, HAD to prove someone else wrong, HAD to be vocal about what everyone else on my “side” was being vocal about and …
I.
Just.
… don’t want to do this anymore.
On top of that (and another reason for this drastic decision - #2), I recently had a conversation on the podcast with my new friend Amelia Hruby about her book, “Your Attention is Sacred” and that conversation (along with other books I’ve read in 2025 - “Anxious Generation” by Jonathan Haidt, “Stolen Focus” by Johann Hari, etc.) left me with a heavy feeling of, “I need to do something about this.”
This?
Yes, “this”.
For instance, today (the day I’m writing this) is Wednesday and so we are 3 days into the week and (according to the Screen Time app on my phone), I’ve already spent 18.5 hours on my phone with 2 of those hours on Facebook and 1.5 of those hours on Instagram.
“Oh, well you do social media for Bart and Alexander, so it makes sense that you’re on those apps for that amount of time.”
Not really.
All the posts I make for them I schedule using Loomly on my desktop computer and I monitor comments via the Meta Business app (which is a TERRIBLE and CLUNKY app, by the way); and so those minutes spent on Facebook and Instagram (the ones reported to me by Screen Time) weren’t really for “work” as much as they are a reflection of the scrolling I’ve been doing and the rabbit holes of comments I’ve gotten lost in - scrolling while waiting for the water to boil for pasta, scrolling in the school pick-up line, scrolling while waiting to be called for Jordan’s allergist appointment, scrolling while at a red light, scrolling in line at Starbucks, scrolling on the couch, scrolling before I go to bed, scrolling over morning coffee … scrolling, scrolling, scrolling.
And on top of that?
#3, the more time I spend on social media, the moodier I am. That sounds strange, but it’s true and I’ll be the first to admit it. The more time I spend scrolling, the more …
Agitated I feel.
Depressed I feel.
Angry I feel.
Nervous I feel.
Insignificant I feel.
… yeah.
I’m being vulnerable with you here, but political posts and comments make me either angry or sad while posts about what other people are doing (as creatives - artists, writers, musicians, podcasters, etc.) tend to make me feel like I’m not doing enough or my “creative work” isn’t as significant as theirs.
Sigh, sigh, sigh.
Add to that (#4) - the pressure of being a “creator” who is “expected” to have a following, build a following, get more likes, shares, etc. in order to be labeled as “relevant” …
Ugh.
… It’s exhausting; and so that’s another reason I’m logging off for 2026. As Amelia’s book so wonderfully describes - “my attention IS sacred”. We live in a world that tells us that our attention is “scarce” and we need to be mindful of what we “pay attention to”.
And … I mean … I guess?
But.
What if that’s not entirely accurate? This is the WHAT IF PROJECT, right? And these ARE the sorts of questions we ask - “WHAT IF THIS IS NOT ENTIRELY ACCURATE?” or “WHAT IF THIS ISN’T THE ONLY WAY TO THINK ABOUT THIS?”
Hm.
Yes.
What if my attention is NOT scarce and NOT limited.
Instead, what if it’s actually a sacred jumbling of cosmic molocules that somehow makes it possible for me to be a living, breathing, conscious being?
And what if I don’t OWE my attention to anyone or anything?
What if I don’t NEED TO PAY anyone with my attention?
Rather, what if I can give it? What if I can see my attention NOT as a form of currency, but as a gift?
Hm.
Yes, I’m tired of PAYING ATTENTION to social media and want to (instead) GIVE MY ATTENTION to my hobbies, learning, my family, etc.
It’s an experiment of sorts, I suppose.
BUT.
I’m not going away - I will still be on Substack (whatifproject.net) and Patreon (patreon.com/whatifproject) where I’ll continue to share blog posts and ponderings along with podcast episodes, art, etc. So …
PLEASE - if you find any value in anything I share or value our “virtual / social media friendship” or want to keep up with my art, writings, podcast, etc. … I invite you to follow me in those spaces - there are NO paywalls.
… and yes, although there is a scrolling feature on Substack to see what other people are doing and sharing (it feels a bit like X/Twitter/whatever), I don’t use it for much other than seeing what some of my friends have been writing about (Tom Oord, Pete Enns, Esther Goetz, Ally Markotich, Heather Hamilton, Jonathan Foster, etc.).
Oh.
And I’ll also continue to have Facebook Messenger installed so I can stay in contact with some Facebook friends - feel free to DM me there too.
And this?
Yeah, I know: it’s a terrible “business model”, I suppose. I have a book coming out in January (as well as more art pieces coming out in 2026, more podcast episodes, etc.) and I won’t be posting about it anywhere other than Substack and Patreon.
No “launch team”.
No “endorsements”.
No “campaigns”.
No “buy my book here!”
Nah. Just going to write it (it’s almost done!), put it up on Amazon (I know, I hate Amazon too; but it’s the easiest way for me to get it out there - I am exploring other options for future books!), share it out on Substack and Patreon, put some flyers up around town, leave a few copies at Starbucks, and let it trickle its way into the world.
Yeah.
I mean, here’s the reality (and another reason for this drastic decision - #5): I’m 44 years old next month and I’m realizing that half of my life is already gone (or almost gone) and (to be honest), I don’t want to waste more YEARS on social media.
Yeah, YEARS.
Get this:
If I spent 10 hours a week on Facebook and Instagram, that’s 520 hours a year.
520 hours a year times another 40 years of life is 20,800 hours.
And that? That adds up to 867 days or almost 2.5 years.
(AND - taking into account that I’m only awake for 16 hours a day, that means that I’ll have spent about 4 full years on social media, leaving me with 36 years instead of 40.)
Holy &$#!, right? If I have another 40 years to live (which would make me 84!), I don’t want to look back and wish for those extra 2.5 years or 4 years or whatever back. I want to look back and know that I didn’t get lost scrolling on my phone while hanging out with Jordan or watching TV at night with Dana. Instead, I want to look back and know that I was as present as I could be in those precious moments that go way, way too fast.
AND.
Lastly.
One more reason for this decision.
#6, if you’re counting.
And this is a really big thing for me: Jordan is 8 and eventually SHE’LL have a phone. And one thing I’ve learned about parenting? Our kids do much more of what we DO than they do what we SAY.
Am I right?
Jordan is much more prone to DO WHAT I DO than she is to DO WHAT I SAY. And that’s true with all kids - they learn by observing … they observe those closest to them and then do what those parents, grandparents, family members, teachers, friends, etc. do. And so when Jordan does get a phone, I hope that she can have a relationship with the device that is healthy - a relationship she WON’T develop simply because I tell her to; instead, she needs me to model it for her.
And I know that this will by no means be easy (I am realizing how often I reach for my phone out of HABIT or BOREDOM or to NUMB some sort of uncomfortable inner turmoil), but it’s something I feel in my heart of hearts that I need to do. Perhaps instead of reaching for my phone, I can reach for a book or journal or paintbrush or take a nap or meditate or __________.
That said - I hope that you’ll subscribe to my Substack and/or Patreon. As I said, there are NO paywalls - you can contribute IF you want, but all of the things I make and share in those spaces (and all spaces!) are available for (100%!) free.
I hope to see you there.
Facebook, Instagram? Siepert OUT. ✌🏻
Much love.
Glenn || SUPPORT / ART STUDIO
Your attention is sacred and so is mine, my friend. I am so grateful for your gentle wisdom in my life. Thank you.
There is a time for everything.
There is a time for social media, and there is a time to step away from social media.
Now go pay attention to yourself and your family.