How to Get Off of Facebook- And Stay Off

Complete- Drop #47: Wean Myself from Social Media

  
      Let me just say this: if you are one of the 175 Million People who log in to Facebook at least once a day, there is no weaning yourself. It's similar to a drug. How many cigarette smokers are addicted and yet choose to only have one cigarette each week? Not many. Sure, it happens, but the reality is that very few individuals are able to control the urge to check their accounts, especially when it's just a mouse click or finger-tap away.

     Sure, Facebook has its benefits. I can now easily connect with people from all different periods in my life. I can easily organize an event, check up on my favorite product, an announcement easily reaches an important target audience- people I know.
     Bored? How easy it is to fulfill my desire for instant satisfaction and a relief to my boredom! It is this underlying concept that makes social sites such as Facebook so addicting. Instant connections, instant boredom relief!

     Facebook has its drawbacks as well. If you are a daily user, the site is bound to cumulatively take up a good amount of time out of your day. Much of this time is spent wandering aimlessly around the site, 'FB stalking' others profiles, etc. It's only human nature to be curious, but never before has there been such a tool that has catered to that curiosity.

Update: Drops 26, 27 and 39

     My Facebook Sabbatical thus far has been a success. Granted, it's only been about five days, but hey- I can only make the days go by so fast! Plus, I have to post either today or tomorrow to show progress on drop 39. I have to say, though, I am really very much so enjoying my sabbatical. How nice it is not to have to pay attention to everybody's sob stories and excuses for not living for the day! I know what you may be thinking, perhaps... Nobody makes you partake in all of the drama that is the world of social media. Well, of course not. Hence the Sabbatical. But, really, just by logging on and going down the 'newsfeed', glancing at what's on the mind of various friends and acquaintances both old and new, I am convinced that whether it is known or not, it does have an effect on your daily do-ings (if you will...). The very first day, I just felt such positive-ness, almost (it felt like) in the form of a sense of relief. I still occasionally feel like logging on, yes. But I am convinced that the longer I continue on my Sabbatical the better I will feel, the more positive I will be, and I don't know that I will even bother with it again. Don't quote me at this point, though :-).

     As far as my organization and an attempt at becoming a neat freak... I am trying. I think this is something that may take a long time to adjust to. I am taking it slow, and have started out with my wallet/purse. I am trying to keep all things that belong in a wallet actually in the wallet rather than pockets, floating in huge purse, etc. It's kind of floundering right now; it has its ups and downs. On a related note, I took my spring break to do the typical clean out the living space routine. My question is... Is it really supposed to stay as neat as when I cleaned it? It's amazing how little effort it takes to really mess this place up. What am I supposed to do, run around with paper towels and disinfectant everywhere?

     And, although the house is currently clean, the basement has flooded from all the melting snow. It's only about three inches, really, but now damp basement smell is coming up into the house. Yuck.

Update: Drop #27: Wean Myself from Social Media

Facebook Sabbatical

     Let's be honest; this weaning thing just isn't going to work. I think there's a good argument in support of technology as an addiction. It's amazing how many times I see people checking thier phones just to see if there's anything to respond to.

     I was listening to NPR on my way home from work one night (yes, I do partake in National Public Radio... I'm a bit of a loser hehe). The guest, an expert on something or another pertaining to this issue- I can find the source if anybody's interested in learning more- was talking about just this topic. Basically, his concept of why people cannot wean themselves from social media or technology may be explainable partially due to our innate desire to not be bored. That is, every time we go to check these things, a little shot of adreneline rushes to our head from the prospect of something special being there, waiting for us to read it. Usually, yes, it ends up being junkmail. However, the prospect that we'll get a message from an old friend, perhaps, or even something announcing good news or fortune. Therefore, when we pick up that device, we are searching for that rush of adrenaline to relieve the boredom. Yes, I can see how this makes sense. I wouldn't attach my name to this theory just yet, but it's plausable.

     So, I have decided that there's no weaning off of social media; I just have to give it up. So, I'm going on a Facebook Sabbatical. This Sabbatical is going to last me anywhere from two months to a year. No Facebook. It's coming off my phone also. With help from others, I have come to the conclusion that although social media is a great virtual 'phonebook' so that you can easily contact someone when needed, it's a horrible communication tool. While it promotes openness of ideas, concepts, and a freedom to share your voice, it does so with undertones of ignorance, hate, and misunderstanding. How easy is it to say things to somebody you would never say to thier face on 'face'book? It's very easy, of course. How many hours does the average person spend a day on social media and the likes? Spring's coming, anyways, and I wanted to start a garden...

     Anyways, starting tomorrow (ironically, Facebook's self-proclaimed 'Day of Peace') I'm done for a while. Ideally, I hope this Sabbatical allows me to take some time to clear my mind and rid myself of the evil-ness that can occur as a result of text-on-a-bright-screen. When it ends, I would hope that the ultimate result would be a minimal relationship with social media, if a relationship at all. So, I might be updating this a lot more now... either out of boredom or accomplishment... Hopefully it's the latter!

Update: Multiple Drops

     So, I'm sure everybody is just dying to be updated at this point on my progress on completing my bucket list, especially the drops which I have already discussed. I can cut the anticipation with a butter knife. Well, let me just tell you exactly how I'm progressing thus far.

     Oh wait... I'm not.

     Surprise surprise. I am speaking exclusively to what I had decided to focus on first.

     To be more precise, I have yet to totally commit to getting back down to my ideal weight of 130lbs. I haven't even committed to drinking an appropriate amount of water on a daily basis, never mind eating more fruits and veggies or (heaven forbid) getting into a decent workout habit. Nope, not feeling it in the cards anytime in the near future.

     As for my organization skills? I did organize my purse, and I am attempting to keep receipts either in the trash or in my wallet. It's just so easy to stuff whatever it is (ID, bank card) in my jacket pocket. Coincidentally, it seems as if everything I put in my jacket pocket has a natural tendency to wander on roads, classrooms, wherever. In other words, it FALLS OUT, and then I fail miserably at locating whatever the item is. Regardless, I have been keeping up with this drop the most. Honestly, if it was public knowledge at how little effort I have been putting into the simple task of keeping my purse/immediate self organized, it would speak LEVELS to the amount of effort other drops have been getting. Ah, well....

     Social Media? This seems to be getting MORE attention now that I have made and put this on my bucket list. Perhaps it is due to the lack of effort needed to access such sites as Facebook. With two touches of the screen, I am automatically connected to everybody I never bother to see or really keep in touch with anymore. I learn so much about people I barely knew just by those two little touches of my touchscreen portable device. If you're even reading this blog, it says something about your connection to the virtual world. I can conclude you either accessed this blog in one of two ways:
     1. Through me letting you know of a random update through the FB... orrr.....
     2. Quite randomly and most likely in error

     With that said, I have other drops well underway. There isn't much value in discussing them preliminarily, however, so I won't make a post until they are official and complete :-). Hope good weather is coming your way, wherever you may be from.

Drop #27: Wean Myself from Social Media

     I've written about this very topic on other occasions: the distinguishable difference between the present and past's ideaology of 'here and now,' and how the definition has drastically changed due to the role of social media. The concept itself is comprehensible. Before the internet, the last memory of someone would be in their flesh and blood.  After that, their lives would become a mystery.  The mind would fabricate scenarios as to what became of them. Often times, the next time we would hear their name would be upon their death.  In today's day and age, comparably, the ability to keep in contact with people we would have otherwise left behind is mind-boggling. With the click of a mouse, I can rediscover an old friend from elementary school. I can track the lives of old boyfriends and preoccupy my mind with their recent marriages, and learn useless information about people I never really cared about. Honestly, I don't care to know about anything that I can't ask anybody personally.

     So, why are social media sites so addicting?

     I was recently listening to a program on NPR (forgive me for not linking to the original source) which discussed the current addiction to certain technological medias such as social web sites, email and text messaging. According to the expert, the hope that somebody has made a comment on one of our recent posts or the idea that we have received an email from an old friend results in a rush of adrenaline. This rush is more likely to be desirable when bored. It is the addiction to that adrenaline; the prospect something has happened results in the sudden urge to check our facebook statuses or email accounts. Really, it makes perfect sense. After all, nobody really expresses the desire for boredom. In the age of portable media, the adrenaline is but a click away. What prevents one from tapping in to a solution to boredom?

     For this reason, I would estimate that I check my facebook a minimum of twice a day. Necessary? Of course not. In reality, it is the procrastination of mundane tasks such as completing a paper that results in constantly checking my 'newsfeed'. However, everything I learn about those individuals on my facebook is not only subjective, but single-sided. In other words, I get a part of the story and no major impact is made on my life. Rather, I am left desiring the memories of the past rather than the black-on-white status updates. Meaningless. Intangible. For this reason, it is my goal to wean myself from social media sites. Of course, completely giving up such technology in this day and age is unrealistic. Therefore, that is not my goal. Instead, I just wish to un-obsess myself from it: to only check up on old connections once a week rather than twice a day. That is the goal; we'll see how it goes.