It was the straw that broke the camel's back.
When I joined Facebook we were living on the side of a mountain. We had spotty phone reception at best, no family in the same province, and could spend whole weeks without seeing a single soul. Facebook was a great way to stay connected, keep abreast of news, share photos and chat.
Since then there have been a few ups and downs... re-connections with old friends, meeting new friends, buying, selling and advertising, praise and encouragement going both ways... also negative drama, skewed motivations and a LOT of time frittered away. Information shared that I really didn't want to know about. Secrets blown that I wish I'd known about in person first. You know. It's happened to everyone.
There have been studies showing that people literally suffer depression in connection with Facebook time, and real data collected revealing that despite the "connectivity" of social media, people in fact feel more lonely and rejected the more they spend time online. Not me, of course. Everything in balance, right?
This morning there was a comment on my news feed that settled my inner Facebook debate once and for all. Whether it was directed at me or not, it was so potentially hurtful to so many people that I just sat back as though I'd been slapped. And when something like this happens everyone involved is put in such an awkward position... how does one deal with this? It's out there, a public declaration. Any reply becomes fuel for the fire. But then so does ignoring the statement.
I boiled down all my reasons for being on Facebook. The positive aspects are undeniable. But in reality, will I miss out on those things if I'm NOT on Facebook? I can still text, email, snail mail, phone or better yet get together with people I'm friends with. If I don't have my focus stuck on my phone app I may actually meet new people in Real Life. And people carried on in business for generations without social media advertising. I guess I can trust God to provide all my needs, I don't have to rely on the instant gratification and continuous feed of posts, comments and "likes".
And once this all dawned on me I suddenly felt a great weight lifted.
So folks, it's been grand. But I'm done. I'll see ya in reality.
