After a long debate [with myself, the little voices from my head, and my dear husband], we’ve decided to move on. I’m bringing this relationship with Facebook to a whole new level. A healthier one, I believe, and hopes are up! 😮
Here is one of the pieces that came to my hands this week:
A new report released this week from the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that Facebook remains the leading social network among American teenagers. It’s also the most reviled. While some teenagers interviewed by Pew claimed they “enjoyed using it,” the majority complained of “an increasing adult presence, high-pressure or otherwise negative social interactions (‘drama’), or feeling overwhelmed by others who share too much.” In other words, Facebook—as any adult with a profile knows—feels a lot like high school.
If Facebook is high school, other social media platforms can function as opportunities to escape from Facebook’s pervasive social structure—the online equivalent to cutting class and hanging out beneath the bleachers.
That definitely got me thinking! 😮 Not that any impulse or excuses were needed, to remove FB from my ‘real life’, but it worked as a great springboard for discussion/dbate within our family…
After pondering around the pros, cons, the time spent through people’s status updates, the conclusion came quick and simple: I’ll live without the artificial reality – don’t think it’s needed. It’ll be for a greater good.
To the ones who care for us, for our family, keep following the blog and checking our family updates through here.
Or, even, go old-school and, once in a while, shoot us an email! [I’m sure you have it!]
Thank you, and I’m happy to move on… moving away from any artificial requirements to ‘ update my status’.
What motivated me to make up my mind? Here’s an extract detailing the so-called “Facebook Syndrome”:
Study has found that teenagers who are heavy users of social networking Websites tend to show signs of depression. The research, by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland, studied teenagers in Edinburgh and found that those who are addicted to social networking such as Bebo and Facebook, show symptoms of depression, missed sleep, school and meals. In addition, there were cases where boys became more or less housebound simply because they did not want to leave the computer and thus needed mental health treatment.
Consequently, those who had self-harmed were discovered to have spent far more time on social networking Websites and tended to turn to these sites when in times of trouble when compared to their pairs. The study therefore recommends that mental health patients should be asked about their computer use when undergoing mental assessments.
Furthermore, it is important for adults and not just teenagers to be more conscious of the amount of time spent in front of a computer. Perhaps, one of the biggest indications of ‘Facebook’ syndrome occurs when one can no longer live without mobile phones or access to the Internet.
Wrap-up question: Can you do without the computer or Internet for a day without exhibiting any symptoms of withdrawal? 😮
Related articles
- Social Media: The Digital You & The Social Stalker (simplisafe.com)
- http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/05/29/daily-prompt-facebook/
- Why Facebook feels a lot like high school (stuff.co.nz)
3rdculturechildren 
Missed seeing your updates … but miss you and your family a lot more
We use FB to keep up with our families & friends spread out all over the world. My dad is in Taipei, I have 1 brother going to school in Spain, another brother in school at California, cousins in Australia, Europe & Asia …
Take care & hugs to everyone
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Thanks, dear! It was a joint decision… our FB page would sometimes be home of political/phylosophical discussions, and we had no interests in taking sides… Also, we’d noticed it’d become a bit artificial, as well – sort of an endless display of ‘look how wonderful my life is…’ kind of thing… life is great, and everyone should be happy… but true happiness does not need to be advertised… and when we’d see ‘artificial/tailored’ displays of that, in a desperate seek of approval [from others], our reaction wasn’t very positive. In brief, it was doing more harm then good, but I totally agree [and stated along this post here] that FB is a fantastic and powerful tool to keep people in close contact and to keep up with established relationships… Never said the opposite. What I strongly disagree is the desperation for acceptance associated with FB status updates, the need to advertise oneself, the shameful self-promotion. But, as I said, all these reasons are personal, and I don’t advocate for people leaving FB – if one is happy with it, its results, its interactions, go for it! 😮 You know where to find us, and taking for taking the time to do so… it just proves the point that, when people want to remain connected to each other, the tools will appear… Much love from Los Mirandas in La Paz! 😮
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Any tool can be used for good or bad. This includes social media. I agree that the majority is abusing facebook (and suffer the consequences). Personally I am an active user, but I am very selective about how I use it. When I am out on a multiday adventure, I generally dont even bother checking on my social media. If I had children I would discourage (or prohibit) their use of facebook and similar tools. Great post!
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Hi, its me and I finally have some questions about La Paz.
I don’t have an email to reach you.
Awkward, I know. But FB won’t even let me look at our old conversations. Anyway, if you wouldn’t mind shooting me and email so I can start sending questions your way.
Thank you!
Leila
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Hey Leila – glad I’m hearing back from you… here’s my email, thought it was public, thru the blog: rsnlima@yahoo.com
you may reach me there anytime, with our without questions… 😮 Take care, Raquel
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thank you for the suport. obrigado.
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My pleasure! 😮
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Good for you. I’m getting sick of Facebook too. Like Gilly I use it to promote my blog, but I’ve found no one really ever clicks on the link from there. So… Maybe I should consider doing the same. I think it is kind of depressing looking at everyone’s lives and thinking everything is so wonderful when it probably isn’t. 🙂
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Amen! I used to think the same… had FB linked to the blog, but you’re right, it adds nothing to the pot… Thanks for taking the time to stop by and share your thoughts! 😮
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I went off Facebook around the beginning of this year and haven’t looked back! 🙂 It’s only been a good thing. 🙂 Kudos to you for making the plunge!
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Good to know I’m not alone! 😮
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I’ve decided to follow your blog because my experience is so different from yours. I am a homebody and like it that way. Your blog gives me an outlet, or should I say “inlet” to go beyond my current state of mind if not body. Have left Facebook and then returned since I started writing poetry that I want others to see. Encouraging others to find my blog and read it is helped by posting on Facebook. Just learning how to use both. Learning them is taking more time than I imagined and time away from my other homemaker duties and caring for my husband of 55 years. I’ll be visiting often to read your former posts. Thank you.
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Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts… I’m not against Facebook, just realized that it wasn’t working for me, that’s all. Instead of bringing happy feelings, it was often a reason for feeling depressed/confused with the number of posts, the lack or cohesion between them, and, as somebody mentioned here, finding out how ‘wonderful’ the world was presented to others, when, in fact, it very likely, wasn’t… it was too much for the show, but again, who likes it, please, enjoy its features… and be happy! 😮 Take care, Raquel.
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Good for you if it was holding you down. I go in whenever I want to check things out, and sometimes not at all for days or weeks depending on my mood. It’s great to find out what my kids are doing (they’re adults 🙂 )
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Thanks, Angeline. I also like to know how my family is doing [we’ve got family scattered around several countries], and I also enjoy sharing pics of my growing kids with family/friends. I’ve got nothing against FB – again, a very powerful social tool, when well-used. What I disagree is with its misuse, the mixed ideas that come with the ‘status updates’, the need people may feel to ‘show a better profile than their neighbor’s/friends/acquaintances’ – life shouldn’t be a social competition, for crying out loud… 😮 Life is already so hard on itself, we don’t need to ‘create’ an alternative reality, and yet, fight to appear ‘socially better’ than others… But that’s just my very humble personal opinion, and no one should take my advice [luckily, I’m not offering any!] on how to deal with their FB profiles… if one likes/needs it, go for it… and be happy! 😮
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Wow. Good for you! I’ve wanted to do this, too.
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Well… I took the first step… let’s see how hard it is to leave the ‘artificial reality’ and come back to the real world… 😮
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good luck! I’m rooting for you!
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Thank you! 😮
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You’ll love life after Facebook! I certainly do.
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Thank you very much for your support! Very much appreciated!
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One can keep Fb without doing much there – my blog is about the only post mine ever gets! Otherwise, I like it for the Scrabble games.
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Nothing against it… it’s a try, an experiment. I have nothing against people who use FB, and I’ll re-state, it’s a powerful social tool, when and if well used… just don’t feel comfortable now with the path things have taken… it has become some sort of ‘social competition’, and that part, I really displease… but if one is happy with its own FB, I say, go for it! 😮 Thanks for taking the time to stop by and share your thoughts, Colonialist – always appreciated!
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I think it’s a wise decision. Who needs it? My students go for fb every minute on their iphones and we have endless debates over it. Do you really need to know what your friends are eating now, who they met in the street three minutes ago or how big their heap of laundry is? You’re better off not knowing. My blog is connected, and that’s about it. Sometimes I use the message function to get in contact with someone I need to reach fast – in fact it seems everyone checks this ten times more often than the e-mail.
Please keep us updated how this works! Interesting.
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It’s an experiment, and it was a personal decision, but I wasn’t comfortable with FB, anymore. No one’s fault, my own. I felt like FB had taken a life of it’s own… and realized it was time to get back to the real life, leaving the artificial scenario to the ones who, for different reasons, need it [or like it, or don’t see anything wrong with that]. I respect people, and I respect people’s decisions. The technological tools are all out there to be well used, and I am [and will always be] a great defender of social media tools. Thanks for your comments, and I’ll definitely keep you posted on how life away from the ‘parallel reality’ is going… Hopefully, I’ll find my path! 😮
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you are freeeeeeee… 🙂
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You are freeeeeeee 🙂
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Thanks – I guess I am… 😮
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wow, that is very bold and I totally respect you…Maybe after I get through my upcoming 20-year high school reunion I will do the same. It is really just an addiction….but I have been able to connect with people and stay “close” to friends in Miami that are too lazy to email or heaven for bid send me a letter (I am big on cards and notes in the REAL mail). Good for you…I am not there yet and I will miss you on Facebook.
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But you know, Meli? It was doing me more harm than good… You know that the hubby was never a big fan of FB, for personal reasons. Recently, we began talking more about the social impacts of FB, the way people now don’t really ‘exist’ as individuals, but ratter, as a ‘social profile’, and the ‘profile’ is whatever one wants to be [or wants to share!]. I’m totally for technology, social media tools, as you know. I like the idea of reaching out to people, connecting, etc. My concern is that we would stop talking [physically], interacting with people, you know, the old-fashioned way, thru phone calls, emails… We’ve realized that instead of ‘really interacting’ with someone, we were simply ‘liking’ a certain post, photo, event. What ‘like’ really means? It means that you agree with what’s posted? Or it’s simply the easy way to say: “I’m part of the conversation, and I’m expected to interact with you, but due to lack of time [or true interest], I’m just gonna hit the like button, and my [social] task’d have been accomplished…” Too much philosophy for one evening, right? 😮 I guess I better go find my pillow and let the little voices in my head do the talking… 😮 Take care, Raquel.
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My blog is linked to Facebook but aprt from that I rarely update my status and I think its way out of hand. Good for you Raquel 🙂
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Thanks, Gilly… let’s see how it goes!
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