Facebook Fallout

At the end of last week, I did the unthinkable.  I deactivated my Facebook account.   I had no idea the fallout that would result!

This was not a decision that I took lightly.  I had been considering it for months, but was hesitant to pull the plug.  I tried taking an unofficial break from it in late fall, and, honestly, I didn't miss it.  AT ALL.   I  checked my messages only about weekly, just to make sure someone didn't have an important need I needed to address, but other than that, I was AWOL.   Then, in December, I decided to get back on there for just that month to post pictures of our Elf on the Shelf, Snickerdoodle.  I had many friends and family members who wanted to be a part of that with us and share in the humor of the elf.  

Instantly, despite my best intentions, I was drawn back into the drama and time warp that is Facebook, so I decided to cut the cord for good (or, at least, for now!).  My husband and I discussed it, and I finally took the plunge and disconnected from this community.  Little did I know how it would affect others!  Within minutes of my deactivating my account and sending out emails about it, I was receiving countless messages from friends bemoaning my decision.   I think some took it very personally, although it had little to do with anyone but myself!   I think, perhaps, I'm not the only person who realizes a need to depart from that social network!  I realized just how much each of us can influence others, even with seemingly trivial decisions!  

Don't get me wrong.  I am NOT Anti-Facebook.  I think Facebook can do a lot of good for a lot of people.  It is a wonderful way to connect with people all across the country (and world!).  My high school pen pal from France found me on there, as did some long-lost college friends and people I grew up with in my home state of Louisiana.   I also believe that, for Christians, it provides a wonderful place to share prayer requests, announcements about events, and to share with others joys and sorrows of our days as they occur, rather than after the fact.  It saves us the time of sending multiple emails about the same topic to different people, it allows groups to form and converse, etc.   I like Facebook.  At times, I've even loved Facebook for the convenience it affords!  I don't think less of anyone who chooses to use it, and I may even come back to it someday when I can make time and energy for it. 

However, for ME, Facebook had become something that was not a good way for me to spend my time.  I would get on "just to check something," and, 30 minutes  (or an hour!) and 5 chats and 10 email messages and 3 photo albums and 2 friend requests later , I would have accomplished nothing on my to-do list for the day, and I would be frustrated about wasting my time.  Also, I was becoming discouraged by posts from some of my friends on Facebook.   People I respected and trusted were letting me down with the words and pictures and topics they chose to post.   It wasn't worth the anxiety of seeing all that.   Thirdly, I felt nosy.  I felt like, oftentimes, I was learning things about people I shouldn't be learning!  Granted, they were posting those things for all the world to see, but still...I felt like I was privy to private information about people's lives that I had no business knowing.  And, it became all too easy for people (me included) to gossip about what we had seen posted online.  Lastly, I wanted to keep myself as pure as possible.  I had little control (if any) over what others posted on my wall, and I wanted to make sure that I was not tarnishing my reputation as a Christian through my Facebook account.  I make enough mistakes on my own without worrying about how what someone else did or said would affect my standing with God and my reflection of His church. 

Okay, so I said all that to say this:  What the old adage says is true.  No man lives to himself, and no man dies to himself.  We are constantly influencing others!  Since I left Facebook, I have learned that no one makes a decision in a vacuum.  I knew that already, of course, but for some reason, this decision has brought that into focus.  I didn't realize how many people would be affected by something so small that I did.  I don't say that to make myself seem more important than I am, I say it to make us all think!  I had no idea that anyone would even really notice that I'd left Facebook, much less CARE!   It has really made me think about how much what we do and say as Christians can impact and influence the world for good or for bad.  Just a thought to consider!

Sorry this was not very concise.  :)  I tend to be a little wordy!

On a side note:  If you ever decide to deactivate Facebook, make sure to write down any important email addresses first! :)