It's not entirely encompassing, but this piece does a fair job of putting into words the realization which I instinctively and experientially came to after too many years as a faithful Facebook 'early adapter' and a passionate Gram'er. I can't comment on Twitter, because I have never been (and will never be) a user.
Good food for thought, this. (And yes, I'm a teensy bit of a hypocrite, because blogging is social media too, but it has always felt and functioned as more like a two-way conversation and a shared experience than a simple vomiting into the void of 'look at me.' Maybe I'm wrong, but don't tell me if I am.)
My Pinterest policy is decidedly don't ask/don't tell. :)
Thank you for sharing that article! It's pretty telling that my first thought was, "I should share this on Facebook!" Face palm.
ReplyDeleteThere was a comment in the article about random people taking pictures of cute children and who knows where those pictures will end up. Im sure you never experienced that in Rome ;) I don't think I understood the reality of the situation until we were visiting a parish out of town recently. During Mass, a woman (old enough to be my mom) sitting in front of us starting taking video of our kids ...Did I mention this was *during* the Mass? I didn't know what to do. It only ended because my kids saw that she was recording then and instantly stopped doing whatever cute thing they were doing to just gape into her smart phone screen over her shoulder. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteGreat article. I am more of a consumer than a documenter ... Facebook certainly caters to that as well!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I have been doing a lot of thinking (but very little praying....) about my use of Facebook. You really are an inspiration for leaving it behind. Do you ever miss it? Ever feel the need to message someone but can't because you don't have their updated contact info?
ReplyDeleteI miss you on Facebook.
ReplyDeleteI don't get Pinterest. Tried it - don't get it. I also don't get Twitter, so I don't use that either. I occasionally use Instagram - but most of my pictures are food related - something yummy I've made. I do love Facebook, mostly because I have a very far-flung family, and friends from my years growing up as a military brat that are far away also, and it's a way to keep in touch easily and share pictures and things going on with the kids (like your blog does for your family). So that's my only social media use. And I don't get the "selfie" thing. Never do that.
ReplyDeleteGreat article! I love Facebook but it is such a time suck...I give it up for Lent each year and love the time away but then I always slowly crawl back. I did delete it off of my phone so I consider that progress. I would much rather have knitting needles or children's blocks in my hands than a dumb old phone! My new thing is checking in once a day...it seems to work for me.
ReplyDeleteYour little girl is adorable! I love the hair! I just had my third too (our oldest is three as well) and am in the process of trying to find a mother's helper because I'm thisclose to losing my mind. I haven't found anyone yet, but I just started looking (at our nearby Christian college, sittercity and asking around town). That's probably of no help to you. Let us know how you go about finding some help. Good luck and God bless!
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