...an excerpt from the new post: "On the rare occasion that I meet someone who’s not on Facebook, I find myself having two distinct reactions: first comes surprise; next comes envy. What would it be like, I wonder, not to have the urge to scroll through a newsfeed; not to be concerned with checking to see if it’s someone’s birthday; not to feel obliged to comment on a friend’s new profile photo?"
See the post in its entirety at the Equals Record, here. Thanks so much for reading!
Photo via Where is the Cool?
14 comments:
I'm going to check out this post right now! Well, after this comment at least. :P
I really like what you excerpted tho - it captures the obligations, almost, of Facebook so well. I have to say, I don't think I met anyone yet who doesn't have a Facebook.
♥ xixia | thisisxixia.com
Funny because I just wrote about trying to up my social media savvy! :)
Can't even fathom what it would be like to disconnect!
Loved the post, Shoko. As always. I just love the way you think and write. :)
Ronnie xo
Thank you, guys!
beautifully written, shoko! disconnecting from the online world seems virtually impossible these days, but i managed to do just that in december of 2010. i turned everything off for almost 3 weeks, and looking back, i have no clue how i did it? I stopped blogging /tweeting/messaging/emailing and so on... i spent the holidays with my family, enjoyed food and restaurants, talked to strangers, went to concerts and didn't think of checking my emails once. i just disconnected and it felt SO GOOD! i was really stressed out after a horrible semester of school and my business hadn't taken off yet, so i just paused for a minute...
i don't know if i could do that again?
Shoko, I adore your contributions to the Equals Record and have had very similar thoughts lately. Left a longer comment over at TER. Have a great rest of your week!
Great story Sho! I hate to to sound completely old fashioned and out of the loop but while I have a FB account I use it very minimally, mostly to keep in touch with a few family members. I don't have twitter, pinterest, instagram (and in fact don't even have a cell phone), although I often feel like, as a blogger, I am sort of obligated to be involved in those mediums, each day of 'should' turns into another day of 'didn't'. I do feel I'm missing something but at the same time I'm afraid to begin, lest I enter a vortex of time sucking that I can't escape! I think there must be a happy medium somewhere.
I loved the article! I like to take a few days off of technology every now and then, but it is hard when so many people use the internet and phones to communicate.
Another thought-provoking piece. I work in research and blog during my spare time- so the amount of time I spend in front of my "devices" is quite alarming.
One of my yearly resolutions is to act with purpose in everything I do- big or small. If I intend to simply respond to email- then I don't idly check Facebook while I'm online. If I intend to blog- then I blog and explore others blogs; if I intend to relax- then I place my phone on the far end of the room and settle down with tea and good book.
I'm not always successful- but I think that by being more conscientious of how I spend my time- then I can mitigate the amount of time I mindlessly troll the internet instead of spending my time in a more meaningful way.
I have never had a Facebook account, and let me just tell you –– it's a beautiful life. I never regret it.
I deactivated my Facebook account three months ago, and don't miss it at all. I've found life to be a lot simpler without it. There is a part of me that is a little nervous about starting school this fall without it, but not enough to go back!
Thanks for another great piece this week :)
Kim, that sounds absolutely amazing. I would LOVE to do that!
Loulou, I think there can definitely be a happy medium, but it'd be a tricky one to find. I think that if it works for you not to participate in those things, then that's great - don't worry about "shoulds"!
Kristina, that's a wonderful resolution. Thank you for the inspiration - I'm going to try to keep that in mind, too!
Kelsey & Kathy, I believe it! That's so nice to hear. I'm very, very tempted to do the same...
I did go and read your post. I completely get where you're coming from... as much as we are connected, it seems like we're so much more disconnected to people and their hearts, and who they are. I miss that.
I left FB for two months last year and it was glorious. The reason I got back on (sadly) is because I was missing a bunch of friends events. They'd only thought to invite people to birthday get togethers, etc. via FB, so I missed out. And I didn't want to miss out.
How I relate to social media now has changed. I will only do it if it has meaning or inspires and really connects people. So I blog, and that's pretty fun. But FB has been super limited and I like it that way now. My Twitter account is virtually lifeless. 140 characters or anything isn't enough for me. :)
Anyway, thanks again for the post and I'm really glad you're blogging. You're very thoughtful and articulate, and you post such interesting things. Thanks for that. :)
Thank you so much, Rose!!
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