Tuesday, November 24, 2020

True confessions

First of all, I will tell you that I have an addictive personality.  If I enjoy something, I go overboard.  Add to that the fact that I'm an introvert and socially awkward, so I don't make friends easily in real life.  And when I do, I eventually just put them on the back burner and don't keep in touch.  It isn't deliberate, but when I look back over my life, I see this happening often.

So when I discovered social media, I was suddenly having conversations with people.  I was a social butterfly online!  At least that's how I felt in the beginning:  I shared jokes and stories, and I came across new people I genuinely liked.  I was hooked.  Facebook caters to those who embrace her, don't they?  They give us fun games to play (another gift to addictive people), they tell you jokes, they keep you up on current events.  If you love the Chiefs, there's a group for that.  Tractors?  Oh, there's at least one Facebook group for every make of tractor ever built.  

And they have some useful services.  You always know when a friend is having a birthday, which is especially helpful when the Facebook friend is a close relative.  When Cliff has something to sell, he has much better luck with Facebook Marketplace than he ever did on Craigslist.  Facebook saves all the pictures you share, too; but I have Amazon Prime, and they save every picture on my computer for me.  

I wrote "The Facebook Song", which is almost a celebration of my addiction!  The video shows no picture because I wrote it at 3 AM one morning and didn't want to comb my hair, which reminds me I was so addicted, I even woke up thinking happy thoughts about Facebook.

I have not permenantly gotten rid of the Monster that ate my brain.  It's temporarily deactivated.  But it's still active in my head, and that's why I haven't reactivated it, and perhaps never will.  I did keep Messenger; so if you are a Facebook friend who is reading this, you can contact me if you need to.  If I ever do go back to Facebook, there will be a huge un-friending, and it wouldn't be because I'm angry with anyone (although this election-and-covid19 mess made some people show their true colors until they got on my last nerve).  Nope, I would un-friend everyone except close relatives, plus a few friends who feel like relatives to me.  For once, I'd have less than 100 "friends", but they'd be real-life, genuine people.  Half those "Facebook friends" just follow others so they can gossip and find fault with them.  I, too, am guilty of that.  True confessions!

Don't count on my return, because I won't go back unless I know I'm in control:  I'll know that when I can go an hour without any thought of Facebook.  Even then, I wonder if I'd go right back to my old ways if I return.  Just so you know, I'm still Internet addicted to a certain extent, but I'll keep that fault.  I'm old, I like to learn, I can't do a lot of things any more, and I enjoy reading blogs; watching television all day doesn't work for me.

So, while politics and corona virus "experts" were the straw that broke the camel's back and made me leave, I believe it was a positive thing.  I was wasting my life on Facebook.  This blog is enough social media for me, and if anybody wants to argue politics in the comment section, I won't argue... I'll simply delete their comments, because this is my house on the Internet; they'll need to go get their own house, where they can say what they please.

I've heard it said, "Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay."  

So will Facebook.

Very sincerely,

Donna



15 comments:

  1. I understand the feeling.

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  2. I do face book to keep in contact with family. I have many friends and don't accept many new ones, but keep it to mostly family. I discoed one of my granddaughter got married this past weekend and would not have known except she posted it on FB. So I've been there and won't leave, but still don't want or have many friends. You can limit who can read or comment by not accepting them as a friend.

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    1. Yes, that's true. But it isn't the friends I'm scared of, it's how Facebook affects me personally.

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  3. ***jumping up & down yelling "Amen-amen-AMEN" and clapping my hands***

    Yes, Donna, YES! Especially this part: "Half those "Facebook friends" just follow others so they can gossip and find fault with them."

    Girl, I could have written this post as my own... every last word of it. I left FB in the spring, when I just couldn't take it anymore. The arguing about the riots, the virus, and politics were just too much for me!! People (family & friends alike) were saying things I couldn't believe... and didn't want to believe... about them. I'd rather not know!

    Like MA said above... she "discovered" that one of her granddaughters got married this past weekend and would not have known except she posted it on FB". Well, you know what? If a granddaughter can't call her grandma on the telephone & tell her that she's getting married... then that's a problem!! My brother in Florida had a terminal illness and didn't call me & tell me... he just posted it on FB which I didn't have at the time. I simply got the phone call from his partner when he died and I'm shocked I didn't faint because I had no idea he had been sick. If this is where humanity has landed (only speaking to each other, even significant relatives, via social media), then that's even more reason I don't want any part of it.

    People are sacrificing hours upon hours upon hours of their lives on social media. Such a waste of a life! The only way we differ, Donna, is that I'm not an introvert. I can talk to anybody about anything. But I don't like most people so I stay away from them. Anyway, RIGHT ON about what you've said here!!! ~Andrea xoxo

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  4. It’s like I hate you, but won’t leave you. Bad marriage FB and me.

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  5. Northern AB gal12:06 PM

    The only reason I am on FB is because of the various Groups I belong to, mostly having to do with dogs and training. And really my training days are over but I still like to keep up with the ones that are still training. No political groups, I stay away from them! I can see a day in my near future when I will get rid of it.

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  6. yeah I do Facebook to keep up with family and some friends. It is an addiction. I won't deactivate it because there is a game I have been playing since 2009 and if for that reason alone, I will stay. Love your song! The words rang true.

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  7. I enjoy keeping up with friends and family and some of the memes are funny. I also like the animal videos. However, I tended to spend less and less time on FB due to the same issues you had. I found myself way too angry too much of the time. I hope that you would keep me as a friend if you do come back to FB. :)

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    1. Yes, I'd say you qualify as a friend. :D

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  8. You will never see me post anything even vaguely political. As I told my preacher cousin, political opinions are like hineys: I know you have one, you know I have one, but I don't want to see yours and you shouldn't want to see mine. For the most part I just keep scrolling and ignore most political posts and anything I don't agree with or that might be offensive, and I would hope that everyone would do the same for my posts on Facebook, but we're not all wired the same. I can take or leave FB, but I love the interaction with my friends and family on there. I think I've bored away most that would be offensive to me, lol.

    I appreciate your reasons for stepping away but I enjoy your blog and hope you continue it, and if you do go back to FB in a pared down version, I hope you keep me as a friend. But if you choose not to keep me, I also understand that and the reasons behind it and won't be offended by it. Do what makes you happy and is best for YOU.

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    1. My main reason for getting away from it is the addiction part. Even when I'm not on Facebook, it's always been on my mind, even when I'm not at the computer. I'm starting to get out of that mindset now. This particular entry was theraputic for me.

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  9. I love reading your blog! I'm glad to have been able to keep up with you on it!! Take care and may God bless and keep you and yours.

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    1. Back at you, Carlene. Visit any time. Now I can answer comments, so we can even converse here.

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  10. I am Facebooking less often than before. My sarcastic mouth is starting to get me in trouble with the overlords there. LOL. I have started a new blog but got sick and bam forgot it. Gotta head there and write if for no one but me. Love you Donna and Cliff, no matter where you are.

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    1. I love you guys too Celeste. I was hoping you didn't have Covid. Happy Thanksgiving! I never stopped blogging, but I wasn't blogging regularly. I'm getting back to my old rhythm of blogging now.

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