the pen is more powerful than the sword

Why I left Facebook…for now

April 20th, 2009

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It has been a week and a day since I declared my Facebook fast online, and I’m still alive!  No one is more surprised than I am, believe me.  Part of me thinks I wasn’t completely in my right mind when I arbitrarily declared the fast (waaay past Lent, I might add), but the other part of me is grateful for the break.

Since I left Facebook, I have received a few questions as to why I left.  Granted, those questions might actually be more, but I can’t log in to Facebook to check. :P  I figured now would be as good a time as any to chronicle the amazing things I’ve discovered on my self-imposed journey. 

Here are some questions that have been asked/you might be thinking, and my answers to them:

• Why did you leave Facebook?
  Initially, out of spite, bitterness, and frustration.  Hey, I’ll be honest.  Let’s just say that there are some people on Facebook who frustrate the heck out of me, and I was getting really irritated with their online actions on Facebook.  That led me to wonder, “Would I even know this if I wasn’t on Facebook?”  When the answer was a very obvious, “No”, I decided to pack my virtual bags and leave for a one month vacation.  I believe the initial frustration led me to declare one month since, right now, I believe one week would have sufficed.  

  Later, my motivation to leave Facebook changed a bit.  I wanted to see how much more I could get done in my life if I didn’t choose Facebook as my main mode of procrastination.  Again, I’ll be honest.  I did not give up procrastinating – I don’t think I ever will – but I wanted to see if I could find another, more productive outlet for those times when I itched to get on Facebook.  Success!  Since I left Facebook, I have spent more time with my husband, rediscovered Twitter (some might consider this a “fail”), progressed through a book I wanted to read, sort of learned how to crochet, abandoned crocheting for knitting after I realized I had no idea what I was doing, started knitting an awesome scarf, got new birds, rediscovered Halo 3, finished Fallout 3, caught up with my studies, got behind in my studies, made a fool of myself on our XBOX DDR game, kept up with lessons for my Bible study, and cleaned our room.  The list is continuing to grow (as is the scarf, I might add).  

  Also, I have rarely been able to keep something up consecutively for a month.  Just ask Mike about my passion for exercise (or lack thereof).  I can do a week.  I can do two weeks.  Three weeks is tough.  I want to see if I have the self-discipline and will power to see this thing through to the end (May 10th, btw).

• You’re on Twitter.  Your Twitter feeds into your Facebook status.  You really didn’t leave.
  Oh, shoot.  Good point.  When I left Facebook, I made a very hasty retreat, and I didn’t set some settings to the way I had wanted them to be, i.e. turning off the Twitter-updates-my-status-thing or being e-mailed about different posts that include my name in it, etc.  Oh well.  Maybe next time.  I’m not going to log in to fix it until May 10, so please bear with me.  :)  Mike has offered to log in for me, but that kind of feels like cheating.

• Can you see my posts to your wall?  Comments?  Etc?
  No, I can’t.  Mike is still on Facebook, and he occasionally glances at my profile to make sure everything is kosher. :)

• Do you hate Facebook?
  No, on the contrary, I think it is a great social networking tool.  When used correctly, it is great.  If you start letting it get to you and take you over, then you better log off for a little while and ask yourself why you’re on there in the first place.  Facebook has been a great tool for me to keep in touch with friends I don’t see on a regular basis, friends from grad school, professional contacts (although we seem to have migrated over to LinkEd), and marketing.

• Should I leave Facebook, too?
  I don’t think so.  Do you think you should?  An interesting phenomenon happened when some people found out I declared a Facebook fast.  They started telling me why they were on Facebook!  That’s great and all, but why do you feel the need to justify yourself to me?  I’m not lobbying for a worldwide Facebook boycott.  I don’t even hate the thing.  But, if you feel the need to justify your time on Facebook, then maybe take a step back and really think about what you’re doing on there, how much time you’re spending on there, etc.  If you find it consumes a large part of your life, maybe take a break.  Knitting isn’t so bad…and Fallout 3 has a great storyline!

• What’s your biblical motivation for all this?
  I cannot point you to a Bible verse that convicted me on my Facebook addiction/frustration.  However, I believe that anytime something gets in the way of what God wants you to be doing or your relationship with Him, you should reconsider its place in your life.

Some articles that may be of interest to you, regardless of your take on Facebook:

• The Dangers of Living in the Facebook Generation
• How Facebook Challenges Narcissism
• What Facebook Users Share: Lower Grades

If you need to reach me, e-mail me. :)  My contact information can be found on Facebook…

Tags: facebook, Fallout 3, fast, Halo 3, Twitter, why i left facebook
Posted in Observations on Life