Facebook. Social networking giant. Home to over 750 million active users that spend 700 billion minutes a month interacting with friends, events, group and various pages (reference). When I joined Facebook, I just did. Everyone does. I added friends, joined groups, updated my profile and posted pictures and updates.
Facebook is a tool. It can be a great tool for organizing events and staying in touch with people. Moms can join groups to sell or buy used baby or children items, learn about local events for little ones or meet other moms for play-dates. Thrifty people can learn about deals and get coupons. Facebook can be really helpful for people new to a city. I meet another mom on Facebook and started a book club, through which I've meet some lovely people. With all the advantages of Facebook it's easy to see why there are so many users. But, do all these advantages have a positive enough impact on day-to-day life to justify spending so much time on Facebook. After some reflection, I've decided no it does not.
Negativity. Most of the time I go on Facebook I read status updates on my newsfeed. Over time I've found that a large percentage of Facebook status updates (from individuals) have a negative tone: ranting, complaining, bragging. Sure, those kind of status updates are interesting to read and everyone needs a rant every once in a while. But, constant negativity starts to affect the way you view people. Yes, many status updates are neutral, useful and even positive (birth announcements) but the negativity seems to overshadow the positive. At least, I find this true for myself.
Artificiality. Snooping. Looking into someones life without them knowing. It's thrilling, and disturbing. Privacy settings can restrict some snooping, but not all. The problem with snooping is that you start to feel like you are spending time with someone and that you are getting to know them. This can create a sort of artificial relationship that can stand in the way of developing a real relationship with a person. When I first joined Facebook I touted the benefits of "reconnecting" with people. The reality is I can't think of one person I truly "reconnected" with. I have meet some new people though Facebook but not as many as you might expect.
Addiction. The first things I do when I sit at the computer are check email and Facebook. I get sucked into Facebook by aimlessly browsing my newsfeed. For the most part, I don't glean anything that I will remember the next day, or the next hour for that matter. Not every moment of the day must be productive, sometimes we need to unwind and Facebook can be great for this. But, there are many other things that I could do instead.
Misunderstandings. People can read into status updates too much or sometimes not enough. Sometimes people write things they would never say in person to the crowd of people they call their Facebook Friends. Feelings get hurt. People get stressed. Real life already has enough of this, why do we need more of it in our lives.
For me, sans-Facebook will be better. Our relationship is artificial and unhealthy. Spending time away from Facebook will allow me more time to invest my energy into cultivating real relationships with people while sparing me the stress of the negativity and misunderstandings that can accompany Facebook.
What are your thoughts? Is Facebook a wonderful tool or leaves something to be desired? Am I crazy for leaving Facebook or right to take a second look at this social networking giant?
I agree and disagree with you, but I think our experiences have been a bit different. I have reconnected with lost friends, people who I care about but live too far away from to be apart of their lives. I don't have people who are not friends in real live as face book friends and my actual friends are apt to be sarcastic but not negative in their posts. I did find it very addictive when I played the games but blocking that helped a lot. Likely, more of my time is on line in face book and blogs than is necessary. I also really like having magazines and news posting stories. I found that watching news on tv made me uptight, angry and anxious all the time. I can read an article and not feel that way, and read (even if just the headlines some days)about interesting discoveries. I see your point, and you have to make you own choices. I am staying but I agree with a lot of your reasoning.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up an important point Julia. Yes, everyone will have a different experience with Facebook. Some experiences will be very positive, some won't be and some might be simply neutral. I think that many things in life can be that way. The important thing, I think, is to recognize what your experience is and make a decision accordingly. Thanks for the comment :)
ReplyDeleteYou totally inspired me today to limit my fb usage! Thanks!! I've only been on once today and trying to check it only twice a day. I only have 8 friends: just family so there isn't too much drama but it's such a time waste. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteI still have facebook but I barely ever use it. My family complains about this but honestly it is a big waste of time. I look mostly at family pictures and sometimes at freinds pictures. Blogs seem more mentally stimulating to me though even those need to be limited I can find myself getting sucked into them too and need a break every now and then. I've thought about getting out of the facebook thing and I may at some point but for now it is a way to stay in touch with my family.
ReplyDeleteI left facebook on Wednesday. I completely agree with everything you said. I realized that facebook's privacy issues were giving me too much anxiety, as well as I came to realize how much time I spent using it when I could be spending real time with my boyfriend, family, and friends. In the few days that I have not had it, I have actually received phone calls from 3 of my friends who otherwise would have contacted me through facebook. Being able to hear someone's voice and have an actual human conversation is so rich, real, and satisfying. I also finished a book I otherwise wouldn't have, got more workouts in this week, and--this might be hard to believe--was overall more PRODUCTIVE at work and in my daily life...:)
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