Facebook, I Kind Of Hate You

...and I also kind of hate Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, (enter-other-social-media-here)...

Let's start with why these things are good, though.

• Social interaction with people around the world
• Inspiration from many sources and people and their many ways of thinking
• Keeping up with family and friends who live far away
• Sharing funny stories, videos, and memes
• Sharing inspirational videos, stories, and memes
• Less-awkward social interactions, for those (like me) who have a hard time socializing in person
• Finding friends who live in so many different places, with so many cultures and experiences 

And I'm sure I'm missing some things, even. 

The case for social media is strong. And understandably so - it really can do magical and beautiful and joyous things. 

But, at the same time...

Social Media Takes All Of My Time. 

I don't mean that in a every-waking-moment kind of way, but I definitely mean the majority of my mental focus for the past week (and that's me only talking about the last week for the rest of this post - I don't really want to analyze the rest of my life, it would be too depressing!).

The past week, my days have been spent with a browser tab for TweetDeck and a tab for Facebook open. All day. All night. No matter what. Checking each probably at least twice an hour. 

Because so much happens in 30 minutes. 

And, if you were honest, the answer is that yes, a lot can happen in 30 minutes.
But - was it anything important? Was it anything that brought me any kind of even tiny, tiny amount of joy?
Not a chance. 

Do I need to check what's trending on Facebook every hour? No. Especially since the "trending" tends to be recycled - things that were trending yesterday, then go away, will come back the next day...and I doubt that's actually what's trending, as the internet moves on quickly. 

Do I need to make sure I don't miss ANY tweets? No. Especially since, if it's important, it will be repeated. Everyone knows that tweets don't last. And if you only post something once, it has a tiny, tiny chance of being seen by the masses. 

Do I need to check one and then the other...and then one and then the other...all freaking day. 

Not a friggin' chance. 

I have more important things to be doing. And, even if that is something as simple as folding the laundry or going to bed by 11 pm - its still much, much more important. 

So, Facebook, I'm breaking up with you.
I'll check you in the evening. Once. Maybe. But considering as often as I post something over there (even on my personal account, it's less than once a week, on average), there's no reason to be checking it as often as I do. 

And Twitter, I will be leaving you for a few times a day. Like, breakfast, lunch, and dinner - that sounds good, right? 

And Instagram? Well, I already check you much less than I used to, so we don't need to work on that, but the idea stands - less and less. 

Social media is beautiful. 

And I love it.
One of my best friends I met on MySpace...6 years ago...and we are still really good friends. And I met the Mister on an online dating site. Heck, I'm blogging - that revolves around being social online.
But it's not something that needs to be my LIFE. Just a tool I can use to make a BETTER life. And, honestly, if somebody needs something from me, there's email. There's text messages. Heck, phone calls even (though, be sure to leave a voicemail).

~Havok