a personal interlude: facebook

I’ve decided to take a bit of a break from Facebook. I don’t have any clear timeframe for this, but “two weeks” is what flits across my mind most.

I don’t hate the website. On the contrary, I think it can be quite useful and good. I have a great time posting photos of cats and food. I get to hear about my cousins’ children. It’s an easy way to send and track invitations. The good is pretty damn good.

However, I’m growing more and more frustrated in the negativity it seems to encourage. I’ve done this several times; posted a vague negative comment, usually whining about a little thing that’s bothering me in my life. I then sit back and wait for reactions. This isn’t communication and I’m ashamed of myself when it happens.

Another shameful practice I’ve seen in myself is counting likes and comments on my posts. It’s as though I’m participating in a popularity contest all my own & I’m criticizing myself if I don’t get immediate feedback. For instance, I posted an “I’m taking a break from Facebook” status about an hour ago. I’m itching to see if people have clicked ‘like’ and I’ve checked my email several times to see if I have responses.

A lot of this same negative behavior can be seen in some of my friends. I don’t like it. It cannot be healthy.

All this said, I’m not deleting my account. I still want to be able to see photos of my family and friends, receive invitations to things, and share fun little tidbits of my life. I’m just stepping back a bit, posting less & reading less. I no longer have a Facebook application on my phone, and while I can access the internet on my phone, I’m going to try *not* surfing to the website as often.

And you know what? I think later tonight, once I’m relaxing at home, I’ll trim back my Facebook friends list to the people I want to know about. I can live with a little less advertising and random information about people with whom I only have a very slight connection.