It hasn't been a complete fast, but I have cut back. Waaaaaay back.
I love Facebook because it connects me to friends that I don't see or hear from on a regular basis. And I hate Facebook because it connects me to friends that I don't see or hear from on a regular basis.
Do you see my dilemma?
I have some Facebook friends (no one who reads my blog, so this isn't about you) who post all-day, everyday. That's a lot to keep up with. And there are some people on my list who use quite a bit of profanity. I don't love that. I want to know how they're doing and what they're up to, just without the foul language. I know that (in theory) I can make lists and decide who gets space on my News Feed wall and who doesn't, but I haven't made the time to do that. I realize that I could start deleting people, but I really don't want to. I haven't kicked anyone off my list yet and I don't want to start.
So I've popped on for just a few minutes in the last week. I checked on family members to see new pictures and exciting updates (including a brand new, adorably chubby baby!) and then I glanced at the first twenty or so updates.
And that's all. I didn't make sure that I read everything that everyone had ever posted. I didn't watch all the videos and listen to all the songs. Nope, I just checked in, looked around quickly, and checked out.
Why the fast? I realized the more time I spent on Facebook, the more anxious and antsy I got. When I closed the Facebook tab on my browser I felt an immediate sense of calm. As an experiment I opened Facebook back up. Yep, there was the stressed feeling again. I closed it and felt peace return.
I'm not preaching that we all close our Facebook accounts, give up the world of social media, and return to the simpler time of handwritten letters and telephone calls on rotary phones.
What I am doing is telling you why I may not be completely up to date on everything you're doing. And everything your kids are doing. And everything your dog is doing.
Because I am Facebook fasting.
1 comment:
I too have a love/hate relationship with facebook. I just realized that it sucked too much of my time away from my kids, family, and other responsibilities. I check it about once a month, or check on a friend/family member if I feel prompted to, and that is it.
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