Watch Your Step
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Hi, my name is ________ and I am a Facebook-aholic. It has been more than two weeks since my last status update.
Growing up, I always knew I had an addictive personality, and I still do. I start a book – I have to finish it that day. I do laundry – I have to clean my closet. I open a bottle – well, you get the gist.
And then along came Facebook – this amazing, voyeuristic, gluttonous, toxic, fabulous website that fed my addiction like no other. The minute I joined, I knew I was hooked. I knew it was dangerous for me. I knew I should stay away. But it sucked me in. I’d wake up in the morning and bounce out of bed, eager to post my witty status update. Dates were now fodder for my comment section. Everyday errands turned into photo ops. My Blackberry became glued to my hand, as updates of everyone’s lives poured in all day long with a sweet little chime. I was obsessed with what they were saying, what they were doing, and with whom they were saying and doing it with.
I wasn’t in any particular clique in high school. I was both an academic and athlete, so I didn’t have a real defined popularity quotient. But on Facebook – now there I was popular. My number of “friends” soared daily after I joined, and I became obsessed with the number. I quickly hit 100, 200, 300, and before I knew it I was over 500. I felt like Sally Field – they liked me, they really liked me! I was finally popular! I was proud to admit that I even knew who they all were. But were they really my friends?
Pretty soon I realized that Facebook was not a good thing for me. Some days it started out fine; I just had a little taste in the morning and then didn’t touch it for the rest of the day. But then there were those days where I just had to have it all day long. I actually became stressed about one-upping myself. I was obsessed with who other people’s friends were – especially the guy I was dating. Why does he have so many hot blond friends? How does he have time to be on Facebook when he was supposedly so busy with work he didn’t have time to call me? And why did that girl write “Miss you” on his wall?
It was time to go. So true to my personality, I quit cold turkey and I haven’t been back since. I definitely still miss it sometimes, but I know I’m much healthier without it. Don’t get me wrong, I think Facebook is great for networking and staying connected. And professionally of course it’s great for things like this blog. Personally, it’s just not great for me.
Maybe someday. Just not now.
One day at a time.
3 Responses to “Watch Your Step”
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A Step In The Right Direction
Facebook has to be the most revolutionary and boundary-defying product of technology to come along since the cell phone ring that was heard in the wrong place, at the wrong time. It brings people together and turns the internet into one giant cocktail party. It’s awesome. It rocks. And it sucks.
I knew it wouldn’t be easy for you, but I knew there would come a time when even you, Miss “my life is an open book” would draw the conclusion that too much is indeed, simply too much. You know I speak from experience. You surely remember the month of my life where Facebook owned a big piece of me.
I was the anti-me. I LOVED Facebook. I couldn’t wait to post on the walls of people I never cared about and tinkered with my profile hourly. But I ran out of gas fast. Random info quickly became too much info; that one friend from high school suddenly became three douche-bags from high school who were still douche-bags. Romantic confessions from various women turned quickly into one random gay dude I worked with over a decade ago posting about cuddling under the covers with his boyfriend. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) I went from the Facebook penthouse to the Facebook outhouse in the span of a week. I shut it down, and never looked back.
In your case, it’s more of a shame because you were so good at Facebook. Remember when my I told you our mutual friend had gotten engaged and you went to his page and his relationship status said “single?” Or the time you checked out an old lover’s page and he had posted a picture of the woman he’d picked over you? Remember how good you felt when you saw she was non-descript… average… plain? And let’s not forget the time – well, you know.
There will be weak moments ahead for you. As they say, once an addict, always an addict. If you’re not one Clorox wipe away from cleaning the exact same spot again or one spell-check away from blowing up your computer, you might still find yourself one urge-to-update away from reactivating your account.
So if you’re feeling weak, remind yourself of the time you were stalked by that loser from work. Remind yourself of those hundreds of “friends” you don’t really care about. Yes, you will miss Facebook – just like we always miss that lover who made us feel so damn good – without making us feel the least bit better.
Current status: Over it.
AGREED – too much time, too personal. facebook before coffee – i am not kidding. i never add a picture, a story, a remark. Instead I silently observer. DELETE. OMIT, getting myself the hell out of there! I prefer to run or have fun than glare at the happenings of other’s lives.
Right On!
ps – is anything wrong with talking on the tele?
Disagree – Facebook is great place for small-talk and staying in touch with those you might never call on the phone. It makes the world a smaller place and allows for interaction on your terms.
It is difficult to multi-task while on the phone, while Facebook allows one to respond when it is good for them.
Don’t get me wrong Jim, I LOVE Facebook. I just love it a little too much.
~Her