Facebook - Adieu.

If you sense an urging that calls you to service or sacrifice then there is a very good chance that urging is from God. The Creator. The Alpha and Omega.
-----------
Many years ago when Facebook was newish, not everyone was on it, I went to a photography seminar where the speaker said, "If you are not on Facebook as a photographer then you are missing the boat." I came home and the first thing I did was open up a Facebook account. That moment my life changed. Some for the better, but mostly for the worse.

Some of the greatest blessings that have come through my time on Facebook have been a connection with my family, the one's who live outside of Abilene, and the one's who live mere miles away. Along with, keeping up with good friends in a busy world, finding great recipes that someone else has posted or put a link to on their wall, sharing great recipes, finding out who is sick, finding out who is well after being sick, a link to a great commentary on scripture or even a funny You-Tube video. All these little tidbits of information and connection have brought good things to my life.

All that information, however, has led me to information overload. Last week I linked on FB to an article that spoke to the modern human condition of being too connected, leading to a compassion overload that in turns leaves the individual less compassionate in the end. It leaves the individual desensitized to all the bad or sad or even glad things that are happening to friends, around friends, to friends of friends,...or to a friends' neighbor..you get the idea. That article has not left me, it has stayed with me because I can say with utmost truth that I saw my face staring out of me from that article. I have so much in front of my eyes with FB that I tend to not feel anything for more than the 2 seconds it takes me to read the post, next scroll down and I have moved on to a celebration post for something good that has happened.

My focus has been lacking when I need to read for long periods of time for school, even when I pick up a book for fun, I still take a break to check FB periodically. I don't like it. I feel like my lack of focus that has developed over the years is hurting me.

For a couple of years now I have toyed with getting off FB, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. But now it is time. My twins are 12, and when they are 13 they want a FB account. I am not sure what direction we will encourage to go with that, but I feel sure that if we do allow them to be on FB, I will get on to keep up with what is happening on their walls. So this might be a 9 month sabbatical, or it might be forever. But for now, to my closest 500 friends. I bid adieu.

I say that in jest, but truthfully I will miss so many with whom FB is my connection. Many blessings have been posted on my cyberwall, and I am grateful.
I might feel as though I am dropping of the edge of the earth, most probably wont notice or care, but I wont actually be dropping off the earth, just social networking. So if you want to keep up with the Marcelains you can always keep up with us on my blog at www.tammymarcelain.blogspot.com (I might actually start posting again on a regular basis now that I am not on FB), or you can email me at marcelain5@sbcglobal.net.

Comments

Unknown said…
Personally, I think this is great, Tammy. I got off facebook a while back and I have never looked back! I think you may not miss it as much as you think.
denise said…
Oh, I miss you already! I looked for you just a little while ago and wondered if I had done something to cause me to be defriended. :) I understand, and have toyed with the idea of quitting FB also. In the past few weeks, I've grumbled more than once, "I just don't have enough time in the day to do everything that NEEDS to be done or that I WANT to do." And every time, it has flashed in my mind that I always make time for FB. I was just thinking a few minutes ago, "Why do I start feeling blue while on FB?" I need to prayerfully consider what to do about FB, and maybe God's been weaning me off of it the past few weeks by keeping me so busy. Oh, something for sure to think about. I will miss "seeing" you on there every day! ((Hugs))
Tammy M. said…
Amber and Denise, thanks for your support on this, means a lot.
Melene said…
I just got my feelings hurt by reading a comment on another friend's wall where my named was used. It's hard to tell if the friend who said it was trying to be funny, make fun of me, or what, but it's one of those things that makes me question having facebook. I love having it to keep in touch with friends who I don't see on a regular basis anymore, but I wonder, if there were no facebook, would I be keeping in touch with them in other ways? Thanks for sharing this and giving me more to think about-in a good way.
Scott F said…
I will miss you on FB! I always love your posts and comments. But I get it.

I took a hiatus from fb for several months after an incident last fall upset me.

In the past 2 months or so, I started coming back on and posting and checking but now in a more healthy way. I get on it every few days and read what I can. I no longer feel I must scroll down and read the entire day's worth of status updates. If I have time, great. If I don't, I don't feel guilty about it any more. So I guess the bad incident had a good outcome! :)

But I really will miss interacting with you there.
Unknown said…
Never had a FB account. Never had regrets, much to the chagrin of 50,000 of my closest friends who can't understand how I survive. LOL! Survive I do!
Shellie said…
Tammy - I admire your self-control! I think I was the last person to get a Facebook account and don't feel overwhelmed by it yet, but can see how that could easily happen. I also admire that I'm not the only person not allowing my child to have a FB account until they are legally old enough to have one! I'm truly amazed by the number of parents okay with their kids lying about their birthdates so they can have an account............just one of my pet peeves I guess. I did decide to let my oldest get an acct. (using an e-mail address we monitor and giving us user name and password, etc...) so we could monitor it and learn lessons about how to use it - who to friend and not friend, how to use self control and good judgment, etc... all before leaving for college when it would be almost certain they would have an account. Fortunately my oldest is not addicted to using it and we have had some good conversations about "friends" and thier activities --- lessons about what to post and what not to post.
Anonymous said…
Without FB, when people move away from each other, they lose touch or (for dear friends) connect through an occasional letter or visit. They even make new friends. With FB, you can stay in touch with people...but it is almost unrealistic because who REALLY keeps up with all 800 of their friends??? It's impossible. But it's also nearly impossible to cut yourself off. When we first moved here, I spent hours on FB because I was so sad to be far away from people I loved and to be starting all over again. It honestly only made me MORE sad. I found myself looking at old pictures and kinda living in the past. I still get on quite a bit and update a status or two...but I find that the more I "take the risk" to meet people and get to know them here, and the more I take in and appreciate the environment around me and pay attention to what God is doing in my life NOW, the less I need to be "plugged in" all the time to social networking. But I miss you.
Vanessa

Popular Posts