I really hope that on New Years’ Day I can begin a new regime, which will limit the amount of time I spend on social media. In comparison with most people, I am not at the races in terms of social media apps. I have a Facebook account and I can see Twitter via the RTÉ Countrywide handle. I don’t have any other personal accounts.

Whatever about trying to limit my social media activity in 2019, life is simply too short for Twitter. Of course there are balanced and informed views, but I have also come across comments to indicate that it is a virtual colosseum of hatred, narcissism, wickedness and bullying, infiltrated by shouty crazies, whackos, conspiracy theorists and extremists. And they are just the nicer people on Twitter.

Yes, I jest a little, but Twitter can be a very nasty place and I am happy with my decision to stay clear of it – bar engaging for its useful side.

Anyway, getting back to my hope to limit my time online, I think collectively we need to take a step back for the betterment of society. Nobody can convince me that our obsession with social media isn’t impacting our interaction with other human beings. Yes, I know I am stating the bleeding obvious and yes, I know I am beginning to sound like some of the evangelical lunatics on Twitter that I try to avoid. But on a serious note, I think the time will come very soon when health warnings about social media addiction will be as common as all the other health warnings regarding addiction to tobacco, alcohol and gambling.

It is time we made it sociably unacceptable to be on social media in what should be sociable occasions, for all our sakes.

A recent Ipsos MORI survey of 1,000 Irish adults regarding smartphone use lends credence to this notion. On average, we check our phones 55 times a day. One in five of us are on the web within five minutes of waking up, while one in three of us admit to being distracted by our smartphones while trying to complete a task. Tell me about it. We are living our lives around smartphone technology and social media. It is soaking up precious time we could use more practically. There are only 24 hours in a day and we need at least a third of that time to sleep and most of the rest of it to work, eat and travel. What is left is what in the past was known as ‘down time’. It’s the time we use to use to watch TV, chat, visit, socialise, read and spend time with family. But if we are checking our phones 55 times a day, we are substituting all of the above in favour of scrolling.

You can’t put toothpaste back into the tube. I am not that naive to not realise that this is the age we live in, but surely it is now time for a reality check. I am of a generation which remembers life before the internet and mobile phone technology. Our children have been born into this world of virtual reality taking up so much of their time.

By restricting my social media use and replacing it with activities with the children, reading a book, or watching a useful documentary; I’d like to think I am showing some example – if not doing it for my own good. It is surely ruining people’s ability to interact and function healthily and properly. It is time we made it sociably unacceptable to be on social media in what should be sociable occasions, for all our sakes.

Everything is offensive

You can’t say anything now for fear somebody will take offence. For example, there will be people reading this who will take offence for even suggesting that people are so easily offended nowadays.