Last year for Lent, I decided on Ash Wednesday (literally, that day) to deactivate my Facebook account. Initially, it was going to be a 40 day challenge to prove to people that I could do it; however, it proved to be something much more than that. It was a decision that ultimately lead me to stay off of Facebook indefinitely.
During my time away, I became aware of the amount of time I had been spending on this social network. I spent hours a day logging in and logging out – checking to see who "liked" a status update or a picture. I looked through "friends" pages, sifting through pictures and seeing what everyone was up to in life. Heaven forbid someone "defriend" me! I would obsess in my mind about what I had done wrong to not be worthy of remaining a “Facebook friend.” I had become jealous of everyone else's life. Despite the old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words, it's not. It’s a picture – nothing more, nothing less.
I also realized how I'd tended to become involved in pointless drama and debates. Whether it was about a news story, a television show, or a political or religious debate, I was spending an unhealthy amount of time trying to prove points to people who didn't even know me. When I got heated up about a topic, you couldn't pull me away from the computer. The time and energy wasted in becoming so emotionally involved in arguments that just didn't matter was in a word – stupid.
At first I thought it was just me, but Facebook seemed to be taking over everything! Whether there was an advertisement in a newspaper or magazine, or a commercial on TV, all sorts of industries seemed to have something to the effect of "check us out on Facebook!" Seriously? Is this what our society has become? Are we completely dependent on this form of social media? It was truly an eye-opener.
Last but not least, the concept of truly living and having real friends came to fruition. Were all of my 400-some Facebook friends really "friends?" Not really. The people who cared about me and were my true friends managed to keep in touch; for the most part, anyway. In fact, it was kind of nice to receive a few phone calls from people wondering why I had "removed" them from Facebook. I keep in touch with those people – they are the friends that matter. They can call or e-mail me anytime.
I'm not saying Facebook is all bad, but for some folks out there, it can be. I networked with so many people who have dystonia. I was able to find old friends I hadn’t seen in years. I had runner friends commend me on my accomplishments. The whole world became a little smaller. The problem is, how small is too small?
The irony of my posting this is that I'm still into social networking and not opposed to it. Just count me out of Facebook. And MySpace. I have Google+, AIM, and Twitter (though I do not have a smartphone). Heck, I even have Pinterest. I maintain my LinkedIn account for professional reasons. Clearly I also maintain this blog. The difference is I now have balance in my life that I didn’t have when I had Facebook. I have more time and pay attention to the things that matter most to me in life rather than drama going on in the lives of others. Staying away from Facebook has made me a healthier, happier person.
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