I have a few addictions that I am walking a fine line with. One is caffeine, the other is Facebook. It doesn't seem like the end of either addiction is near...not even close. I love Facebook for so many reasons. I have reconnected with some seriously awesome people and many of them helped me through a VERY hard time in my life. I enjoy posting funny little quips about my silly little life, because let's face it...I'm a crack up. People comment, tell me I'm a crack up, I get my daily affirmations and I don't even have to call Stewart Smalley. I love to check in with my friends who moved away and watch their children grow up album by album. Every once in a while, someone will throw in a video of their kid doing something awesome so I watch, love it and comment on what a treasure that child is. (AND mean it with all my heart!) I get to read about medical issues this person is having, what people are having for dinner, how many days until that persons vacation, who has a teething child, what movies people are seeing and what sporting events are on the schedule. All this is fine. POSSIBLY a time suck...but harmless. The stalker in me LOVES it.
THEN, there is the other side of Facebook (and the Internet for that matter) that I fear is going to be the demise of a technology dependent generation. The negativity is sometimes stifling. From complaining about the weather to griping about the state of the union. People get behind their keyboards and seem to lose all sense of what is polite. I have honestly considered deleting my page, but I would miss keeping up with some of the seriously awesome people on my friends list. I would also be depriving the Facebook world of my hilarity...and I know you would all just hate that. Any suggestions? Thoughts on the matter?
3 comments:
I actually have been struggling with the same issues for months now. This week, I deactivated my FB account. Since, I've realized just how much I think about it and have the urge to check it, only to realize that it's not there anymore. I do miss seeing what long lost friends and family are doing, but then I figured, if they are really part of my life, I don't need to see what they are posting on FB. I lived a long time without it, so I can again. Good luck, and remember if God is telling you to deactivate it, as hard as it is, do it. I've been really blessed this week because I followed his request.
Love,
Kristin Loveland
Kristina...guess I could spell my name right, huh?!
Chrissy,
I recently went through something like this myself with Facebook. I can "feel" myself when I'm obsessed with something. It's a feeling that's hard to describe but the word that I think best describes it is YUCKY. I was feeling YUCKY when I was on Facebook. I knew when other people were getting to me and I was arguing with them AT my computer all the time it was time to take a look at ME. I was constantly checking Fb through out the day. So I prayed about it, and prayed and prayed and did nothing else. Then God did for me what I wasn't doing for myself....All social networking was BLOCKED one morning when I went into work!!! I almost had a panic attack...seriously! I was calling people trying to find out how to get around that block...I got NO answers!
It has been about two months now and I do NOT have ANY access all day long to Facebook, don't even have it on my phone. I check it at night and once in awhile if I have a minute in the morning I will put up a status...but YOU know me and mornings :) I feel TONS better. I still seethe negative stuff when I check it at night but there are SO many to catch up on that I don't really pay much attention to them...they don't get to me anymore. The one's I DO pay attention to are the people I love and care about...like YOU! The one's who make me laugh on a hard day when I've dealt with a client who has overdosed or worse, the one's who put up pictures of their growing tummy's with those little miracles about to come into this world. I would miss that if I didn't check my Facebook. There's a place I often go to that has taught me, "Take what you need and leave the rest". I think it applies to The Facebook!
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