I tried to stay off social media for a week; I lasted three days. In the end what tipped me over the edge was not boredom, FOMO or loneliness but sheer inconvenience – I needed to contact someone and found I had no means of contact without Facebook Messenger. Once I’d logged in to do that, the whole experiment seemed redundant.
If
I wanted to demonise Facebook, I wouldn’t have to look far for fodder. It’s
distracting! It makes you feel crap about yourself! It turns some people into
narcissists! None of these things is untrue, of course, but there’s a common
denominator… the internet, obviously, but more significantly – the user.
That’s partly why I wanted to take a break from social media, which I figured would be a great tool for measuring my own dependency – something I’d become concerned about on a recent weekend away from reliable internet access, when I felt a mild form of social-media separation anxiety (more about that experience in this post).
But my feeling
at the end of my abandoned experiment is not disappointment over some failing
of willpower on my part but a peaceful acceptance of the fact that this insidious time-vampire is now so entrenched it’s simply not practical to be
without it. I now know that I AM dependent on Facebook, but not in an
unhealthy way. Facebook doesn’t make me feel unfit, lonely or inadequate, it allows me to feel more tuned into my
relationships – a pretty essential part of the human experience.
Facebook isn’t doing anything more than my mobile phone and email were doing
for me 10 years ago (ie keeping me connected with those I care about). Yes, of
course it would be better if I went to see those people face to face, but in so
many instances, that just isn’t practical. For all the moments in between, we
have Facebook.
I read a few medical journals (this is partly due to my job as a health writer, but also because I'm a geek) and it feels like there’s no shortage of
science-based reports painting Facebook in a negative light. Like the
University of Michigan research revealing this site can reduce users’ sense of
wellbeing and life satisfaction. The Canadian study which concluded Facebook
can increase feelings of jealousy within romantic relationships. Or the
University of Missouri-Columbia study which found that people who use Facebook
for “surveillance” are more prone to depression (they don’t call it Stalkbook
for nothing!).
But none of that matters to me. As long as I keep my Facebook
use in check – no logging in when I’m bored (pick up a book!), no logging in
when I’m having convos with real-life people, no logging in when I’m at work or
completing another task – I feel like I’m doing it right.
NOTE:
Yes I am aware of the irony of writing about Facebook on a post which I will go
ahead and promote on my Facebook page. Thanks for pointing that out. I’m fine
with it.
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| Dubious Valentine's Day card. |