Facebook helps me to procrastinate and I am trying so hard not to go on it. The problem is that my family are on Facebook and it is the only way that they communicate with me. So I feel obligated to go on to it. But then I start playing games and procrastinate and then feel bad about it. It depresses me and makes me feel useless. What makes me sad about social media is that if it didn't exist, my family may just actually speak to me on the phone once in a while. All I get though is a like on a few posts from time to time.
My Facebook account has always been 'quiet'. While most people would spill all on their wall, I prefer to write private messages to friends and families. While it has seemingly turned into a bragging community and medium of fake news, facebook can be a useful tool for reaching out to a large number of people in such a short time. I used facebook to announce my sister's death to our relatives who are living on the other side of the globe and my relatives used facebook to constantly update us about our father's condition. Some posted 'condolence' on my wall while some clicked on the like button. What's to like about a death announcement? I was irritated initially, but then again, it was Facebook, a short cut for real social interaction. I'll never thrive on Facebook because I've never wanted to call attention to myself. I've never posted pictures and I really hate it when a niece/nephew tags me on family pictures. However, it is a necessary evil because it makes communication cheaper, faster, and easier. I don't mind looking at pictures of classmates and hearing news about their achievements because that's just like they've laid all their cards on the table. I can also see that they're growing old much faster physically joyful: my evil side). On the contrary, they know little about me or my whereabouts.
As you say, social media and especially Facebook is there as a help, and you should be able to use it as much or as little as you want. There are many people these days that find that they are addicted to social media and can't go half an hour without checking in or posting a status. I'm not saying that's a sign of mental illness, but at the same time if you start to rely on other peoples interaction with your social media, and judge yourself by how many likes or comments we receive, it certainly not a healthy way to live and could be the initial sign that something underlying is wrong that needs to be addressed.
Gradually getting there! Again I've stopped playing for a while and thankfully I am getting totally bored with computer games. I've started remembering the things I used to do before I discovered gaming and already I'm beginning to do those activities again. I feel liberated giving up games. Fingers crossed I can keep away from them.
I am still off the games! Woo hoo! I'm giving myself a big pat on the back! Well done Janey, good girl! At the moment, every day going without Facebook games is a step towards healing as they make me procrastinate.
There are a host of tools out there to stay in touch with loved ones that don't require you to share your private information with the world and open yourself to identity theft and abuse. Put the phones and laptops away and look for real people to interact with. Personal interaction is what we're designed for. Our brains are designed to pick up subtle signals from anthor persons facial expressions whilst you interact. Don't think Facebook has got that one down yet. Turn on Skype when you want to chat to distant relatives and love ones and use a photo sharing platform to create shared family albums. If you need to buy a cheap refrigerator, by all means join a local Facebook group. It's not without it's uses.
