Lessons From a Facebook Fast

 (Pictures from the kids' Washington DC bike tour)

Today marks 15 days without Facebook.  I will confess that I had reached "heavy user" status.  It was time to step away.  And now that I have reached the end of my self-imposed hiatus, I am wondering how to better use social media in general.  So I thought perhaps my little blog here would be a good place to "think" through what I learned from this experience.

Firstly, I must say it was not a social media fast, just Facebook.  I continued to post pictures on Instagram because I have found a nifty little app called Chatbooks that will turn my photos into a darling little paper book and I no longer have to worry about how to get them out of my computer! They automatically send me a book every 60 or so pictures.  And it is $8 a book, cheaper than printing prints, finding an album or scrapbook!  Also, I continued to use Twitter as it is so boring that I only check for weather and local news.  I only have one friend who post there, and I love hearing from you if you are reading this!

What did I learn?  Here is where I will switch to bullet points!  I love bullet points!

• I am not really addicted to FB.  I did not pine for FB.  After the first couple days, I did not think about it except when an occasional email came about a birthday or picture notification.   This made me hugely happy.  I was worried that I was becoming dependent.  
• FB really does add both good and bad to my life and I need to figure out how to eliminate the bad and keep the good.  For example, I did not miss the DRAMA, the political mud slinging, the bad news.  I actually did not know that Mohammed Ali had died and I did not know about the FL shooting.  My husband told me of both situations and can I tell you how wonderful it was to learn of these things from him and not a newsfeed.  (Not that I was a fan of Mohammed Ali.)  The takeaway will be that I need to unfollow anyone who shares things on my newsfeed that I do not want to see.  Unlike and unfollow will be my motto!!  
• I need FB to keep up with certain family members, as it is their "thing."  That is OK.  It is not mine.  I would totally quit FB, but for these dear people.  
• The nicest thing I learned is that those who really matter to me, sought me out and we kept in contact through blogging, texts, emails, Twitter, Instagram.  Thank you, dear friends!  I love you, too.  
• I found more time to read.  I was in the bad habit of getting sucked into reading all those little FB posts, saving them to read later, instead of reading books.  Gasp.  I got a lot of reading done in the past two weeks.  

Therefore, I am going to log into FB in a few minutes and get to work "unliking" and "unfollowing".  I am not going to put the app back on page one of my phone.  I buried it deep.  I am not going to get notifications ringing for every little thing.  I am taking control.  If I find it is not going to work, then I may just ditch it.  

Now, for Instagram and how I am using that nifty app, Chatbooks.  I have my setting on private, so if you want to follow me (jennlyhoo), just ask. I will warn you, I post a couple pictures a day during the summer with all our activities that need to be preserved in a Chatbook!  

OK, so all this makes me wonder, what are your thoughts about Facebook?

UPDATE:  I logged on to FB and after a few moments got that feeling of "in your face" and just yuckiness.  I asked myself,"Why am I here?"  Really there is no reason to be there.  It is all a giant time-suck!