Do you remember your life without Facebook? I do.
In thinking about 2016, I decided to really think about the impact of social media in my life.That’s why I have launched F-3 – Forget Facebook February. Here are some things I have recognized in a brutally honest assessment.
- Facebook consumes time and attention – energy and activity that could be spent in other dimensions of life.
- Do you have projects you would like to complete but “can’t find the time” to get them done?
- If you could have more time, what would you do?
- Is time on Facebook consuming the time you once enjoyed engaging in other activities?
- What are they? As an example, what book have you postponed reading (or writing) because your social media use has become an insatiable carnivore of your time?
Here are some points to ponder regarding Facebook – and why you might consider participating in F3 – Forget Facebook February:
A. Technology and social media possess a “creep” characteristic – quiet and accretive, they eat into our time, energy and lives.
B. Social media use is a choice – we choose to adopt it – then fail to realize what we have sacrificed for its’ use.
C. There is a cost to social media use. Oftentimes, we fail to recognize when we choose to invest time and energy in Facebook, we choose to not participate in other dimensions of 21st century living available to us.
D. For some, we must confront the reality that our lives have become more compartmentalized due to our social media use – as we have unwittingly become captives of social media. Rather than expanding social horizons in life, immersion in social media use can subtly become a confining factor versus a interpersonal relations expansion vehicle.
E. There is an inherent fallacy to “Friends on Facebook.” For every 500 friends you may have on Facebook – get honest. When the chips are down in your life and you really need the tangible support and encouragement of true friends. that number dwindles to 5 or less.
F. Spectating vs. participation – Has Facebook become a time consuming life activity for you – such that your participation in actually engaging in an active lifestyle has suffered? Have you become more of a spectator vs. a participant in life due to your use of social media.
G. Social media impairs the extended concentration capabilities of the human brain. Your brain is like a muscle; it possesses muscle memory. If you are not using your brain muscle for its extended concentration capability (vs. tweets, likes, abbreviated messaging etc.) – it loses this capacity (think about reading books, classroom learning, focus, writing in an extended, coherent narrative etc.).
H. Has Facebook become an important part of your personal identity and/or your self worth? For many, the answer is yes. If so, can you remember what Facebook has replaced as a source of personal identity/self worth? Why? How so? Honestly, we are all much more than what we appear on Facebook. Maybe it’s time to reexamine this issue.
I. Facebook has become a primary communication mechanism for many people. Thus, other forms of interpersonal interaction are often sacrificed. Remember the importance of actually meeting people face-to-face or enjoying a telephone conversation?
Based upon the above, I am embarking on F3 – Forget Facebook in February 2016. I want to explore the possibilities of life without Facebook for thirty days. In A-I above, I want to read and write more, explore listening to some new music, use the time not involved with social media to immerse myself in other activities, plan more face time with folks, more photography, more frequent walks/hikes with Reggie, and become more active outdoors. By the way, I have never had Facebook on my phone – it’s just too intrusive and annoying for me. If you are going to participate in F3 in February 2016, I recommend you uninstall the FB app on your phone. I don’t use twitter either…and will not start.
We’ve also developed an image for you to post on your FB page to let others know you’re taking a month long break. Feel free to copy this image and paste it on your FB page for the month of February 2016. For those who do participate, you can go to http://www.BillDahl.net and post what you are learning during F3 – as a comment beneath this post.
Explore. Grow. Learn. Change. Lean into two thousand sixteen. Challenge your current habits with technology and social media. How we spend our time is how we live our lives. Enhancing the quality of life requires experiments with intentional change.