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! š®
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. Itās also the most reviled. While some teenagers interviewed by Pew claimed they āenjoyed using it,ā the majority complained of āan increasing adult presence, high-pressure or otherwise negative social interactions (ādramaā), or feeling overwhelmed by others who share too much.ā In other words, Facebookāas any adult with a profile knowsāfeels 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 structureāthe online equivalent to cutting class and hanging out beneath the bleachers.
That definitely got me thinking! š®Ā Not that any impulse or excuses were needed,Ā 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 āFacebookā 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? š®
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3rdculturechildren 