Welcome to my experiment. I have a largely unproven hypothesis which has struck me in moments of clarity.

Social media stifles creativity and alters true thought.

I first noticed a sinister side to Social media when I found myself getting VERY wound up during the last American presidential campaign. Admittedly it is all too easy to consume News and opinions 24 hours a day.

I also have moments of guilt when I think about this very blog which output has plummeted. Correlating with every photo, status update, like and click elsewhere.

Make no mistake. Social networking uses psychology, brain chemistry and evolutionary biology to capture your attention far more than any drug.

Last March when the Cambridge Analytica story broke I was ready to quit. I would deactivate Facebook, remove the Instagram and Twitter apps and be a free person.

So I thought. Then I realised I was organising an event on Facebook. I also have photos I like to see. I could not be free.

A year later. The event is over. The photos I can do without.

I shall opt out for a month and see what happens.