So last Saturday I decided to do a facebook fast. There are too many reasons to enumerate here, but suffice it to say that I was a little obsessed. What? Me---obsessed? I know you're shocked. You'll get over it. I needed to get away from facebook because it was consuming all my time. (The following is going to come as an even bigger shocker to those of you who can't fathom my being obsessed in any form:) Guess what? Other things can take the place of facebook!!! I know! WEIRD! Who'd have thought it?!?!?-- Even the obsessing part. Hooray!
I have become obsessed with NEW things! For instance, did you know that there is this very cool thing called email that works just like facebook except that only the person you are sending it to gets it? Now, of course it doesn't have the stalking factor that I love about facebook. I can only see my friends' responses to me when they WANT me to. But nevertheless, this email thing has it's own primitive charms. Like I said, it is astounding. And believe me, in my facebook deprivation, my friends have been very astounded about just how many emails I can produce in a single day.
So I don't know if staying away from social networking sites is helping me in obsession area. But there are some things I've learned during the facebook fast. (Learning is always good, right?) So here's a few of the things I've noticed since I've been away:
1. I have actually remembered to do some things that I usually forget. (Could facebook deprivation be a cure for A.D.D.?) Chucklehead, you should check it out. It might work for you too.
2. I don't obsess AS MUCH about staying in contact with my friends as usual (This is not a true statement, but I only realized that after I had already written it, and it gives me one more point, so it stays.) And by the way...we are talking about an introvert here...what is my deal with all this reach out and touchy stuff? Is it possible to be an 'I' in real life and an 'E' online?
3. I've had more time for other things (although I've noticed I'm attacking them with the same addictive behavior that some of you witnessed in the facebook arena. (For instance, getting ready to texture, I just couldn't stop masking off my house. I begged my husband to PLEASE start spraying the walls so I could put the tape down. And I admitted I was a green-tape addict. He suggested I get a new addiction.
4. I noticed that when I'm not constantly summing up my life in one sentence statements, I am dying to write something. Who knew that those status updates were satiating my creativity? For every post, there's a story, and while I've not been constantly revealing to the world "what's on my mind" I have had more of an urge to write. I don't know...it could be a good thing, depending on whether you're the writer or the reader of this nonsense.
5. I also found out that some people are texters, some are facebookers, some are emailers, and some are facebook chatters. It is rare that a single person be all of these. I've also noticed that some relationships that exist in one of those realms cannot survive in others. Please don't point out the fact that I didn't mention the 'real world". If it's virtual it IS real right?
Virtuality-- that's why I love facebook. My little world away from the world. See you in five days.
No comments:
Post a Comment