Happy Friday, everyone! As I mentioned back in December, I began the year 2017 by deleting the News Feed on my Facebook. I'm just a few months into the year with this aspect of social media gone, and I have to say-I'm loving this new reality. I've realized just how much I got sucked into the noisiness of my Facebook News Feed, and I've experienced just how awesomely peaceful life is without this a News Feed to greet my eyes every time I hop on Facebook. Here are three specific fruits that I have observed from living without a News Feed:
1. My life is a lot less noisy, and my heart is much more peaceful.
The Facebook News Feed is noisy, there's no other way to put it. As we scroll down the page, videos start playing automatically, pictures and advertisements flash by, and an onslaught of information about tons of people-good friends and near-strangers-rushes in front of our eyes. Even when a lot of this is good (happy news, beautiful pictures, uplifting statuses), it's still noisy. Now that I no longer have a News Feed, I experience a lot more silence when I hop onto Facebook. I'm not immediately slammed in the face with tons of gratuitous information about multitudes of random people and events. My heart is also much more at peace. I'm less concerned with what's going on in the lives of other people and more in tune with enriching my own life.
2. My time online is more fruitful and intentional.
Since I no longer hop onto Facebook and find myself mindlessly scrolling through my News Feed, I am much more intentional about why I'm logging on Facebook and who I'm interacting with. Now, Facebook has become a way for me to communicate intentionally with others and keep track of events, which is what it was for me before I got pulled into the time-suck that is the News Feed. I'm also finding that it's easier for me to spend less time online, which is nice :)
3. I'm more connected with other people.
Yes, it's true. While you may think that I would be more connected with people if I had a News Feed, I've found that this isn't the case at all. Sure, with a News Feed, I would be able to automatically know different facts and updates about several other individuals, but I wouldn't say that I was truly connected with many of these people in a meaningful way. Now that I don't have a News Feed, I message different friends more often to check in with them or catch up on life. The biggest fruit that I've seen without a News Feed, though, is that I'm spending more time in groups. I belong to a few different Facebook groups, and some of them I only check a few times a month or once a week. A couple of the groups, though, I check daily, a few times day-and in these groups, I've been able to really connect with other women and have extremely insightful and fruitful conversations.
Sure, I've missed out on some news-I don't find out about engagements right when they're announced on social media, but I've always been informed of the important stuff eventually. If anything, living without a Facebook Newsfeed is teaching me not to get so caught up in our society's love of instant gratification. I've found that I can survive without seeing photographs from someone's wedding as soon as I log onto Facebook. And while I may lose track of who is marrying who, I don't think this is necessarily that bad. After all, when I run into random classmates from high school who I haven't seen several years, I think it would be more awkward to say "Hey, how's it going? Well, forget that, I already know because you popped up in my News Feed the other day, so even though we haven't talked since Geometry class in freshman year, I know all about you!" than to say, "Hey, how's it going? I haven't seen you in forever-what have you been up to?"
Use your News Feed if it's a blessing in your life. If it's not something worthwhile, then don't be afraid to cut it out! The choice is yours. As for me, I am so grateful that I'm living without a News Feed, since I've found far more benefits without it!
Whoa. what an interesting idea. I have 'unfollowed' honestly, most people, so my newsfeed is only filled with a handful of people who's updates I enjoy, but totally agree with you on the noise thing. Something to think about for sure.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about #3! At a friend's daughter's baptism, I ran into a woman I hadn't seen for years. I mentioned that we'd had another baby and she said, "I know, I read your blog." It was weird that I hadn't spoken to her in years and she knew all about me. We didn't have much to say after that.
ReplyDeleteSince coming back from retreat, I feel different about the constant noise of all my feeds. Sure I still have them...but it feels like I am just trying to keep up sometimes. Especially with people sometimes so divided on issues/politics (wasn't that supposed to end after the election, lol!? ;)
ReplyDeleteI think you hit the nail on the head, when you speak of using it if it is a blessing. But getting to the point of knowing that or not can certainly be tricky sometimes ;)