The Facebook Test: Part One

I saw The Social Network this past weekend. What did I think about it? Honestly, it was inspiring. I found myself relating to the movie as a blogger and as a person who enjoys great performances. The cast is very talented and the writing is phenomenal. A few posts back, I shared a poem with you. It was dedicated to a particular social network, indeed. See it HERE if you missed it.

I joined Facebook approximately four years ago. Last year, I deactivated my account. This past summer, I reactivated it. Facebook and social media in general have a lot to do with mission of this blog.

The Stalking


You have heard that popular quote about relationships. It goes along the lines of: "if you love someone, set them free … if they come back to you, they are yours.” I never quite agreed with this one. I see the logic. In fact, it is a very clever concept. But, people are not birds. People are people. We are erratic, at best. We are downright confusing to comprehend. What works today will not necessarily work tomorrow. There are no guarantees. Life is unpredictable. Hardly anything is impossible. Hardly anything is set in stone.


I may not agree with the quote, but if you choose to "let him free", you actually have to let him go in all aspects of life. That includes facebook. The best part about this social network is that you can stalk for hours without "the stalkees" ever finding out about it.
If you have broken up with a guy, you should not search through all his pictures or watch all his videos. You should not continuously check his relationship status or speculate which girl from the wall posts might become his new girlfriend. Please excuse the pun, but facebook tends to make relationships more "complicated".

Facebook was a source of boy-crazyness for me. This was before I discovered Reciprocity (read ME). He needs to think about you as much as you think about him. This was before I learned that His Point-Of-View and your point-of-view should match (learn MORE).

Back in July when I was still figuring this blog out, I wrote the article, Look At That Profile Picture.

Here's an excerpt:
 

"You deserve to be with someone who loves you back. You deserve to have someone in your life that you don’t have to stalk because he’s always around.

This gets easier. Once you get rid of your attachment to stalking, it comes up in your mind less and less. But, it is a process. So, good luck."

Read the rest HERE.


The Excuses


The best stalkers have the most common excuses:

1. "I do not stalk people."

2. "I do not have an addiction to facebook."

3. "I use facebook to communicate with my long-distance friends and family members."


My question: Be honest. What do you use facebook for?

My personal answer: 70% Making Events or Publicizing my Blog, 15% Legitimately Checking up on Friends, 15% Checking up on People who are not a Part of my Real Life.

Currently, I go on facebook every couple of days. I do not know if that is considered frequent or not. However, when I am logged in, the answer above is how I spend my time there.


The Test


I have a challenge for you. I dare you to analzye how much time you spend on facebook and how much of that is productive. If you are especially daring, post the percentages in the comments. In my opinion, making events can be considered productive because it is time-consuming to call ninety people when you can just hit a button (however, this is extremely impersonal, and you should consider that, as well).

On the other hand, it is not productive to spend over three hours posting pictures and uploading videos. It is not too healthy to wake up, thinking about facebook or writing down potential status updates on your napkins in restaurants. But, I will admit that I have done it. I look forward to writing a little more about this.

Stayed tuned for the surprising advantages and disadvantages of deactivating your account.


Love,


Zabrinah



Next Up: The Facebook Test: Part Two

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