F.acebook Fodder: Social media is crazy

Do you "facebook" (yes, that's a verb now, don't ya know)?

How many people have you "friended" (yes, another new verb)?

I think I've been on FB for, I don't know, maybe almost two years now.  I blame my brother-in-law Jeff for getting me started...he kept sending me e-mails about some video he'd uploaded but which I could only see if I created a FB account.  I don't even remember what the video was (sorry Jeff!) but, these many months later, I am well and truly hooked.  These days I often log into FB before I even check my e-mail - I consider that to be a bad habit, as I have much more important stuff happening on my FOUR email accounts than is happening on FB.

I don't know, off the top of my head, how many "friends" I have.  I think it is over 300 at this point; but, the majority of those are parents who also have a child with Prader-Willi Syndrome, and so I consider those "friends" to be actual friends simply because we have our wonderful children and that rare syndrome in common.  I have become true friends with several fellow PWS parents, even though we've not (YET) met in person.

I will admit to getting tired of Facebook.  Gasp, I know.  There are so many news feeds going on, that I'm sure I miss 75% of everyone's posts on a daily basis.  There just isn't any way to keep up with it all, without spending hours on it!  And Farmville...I hate to admit how much time that has sucked from my life over the past two years.  I think, I really think, I may be done with it.  It was fun for a while, but I'm getting tired of it, there's so many other more valuable things I could be doing with my time, and my computer is 5 years old and often just doesn't load the games well anymore.  And the game itself has become so much more complicated since I started playing, that it takes more and more time to "play" it....and that's starting to sound like "work" to me.

It's funny, to watch how others use FB.  I have seen it be a catalyst for a PWS mom to get a car, so that she has transportation to take her daughter with PWS to doctor's appointments or just to get out of the house and go do something (distraction is a huge daily challenge for many families living with PWS).  That was, simply, amazing!  I have also seen FB used to criticize...as in, one mom using a FB post to criticize another mom for how much she's on FB....uh, what?  I have seen ranting posts, complete with profanity and all in caps...ugh to those.  Then there are the "using FB power for good" posts, with people raising awareness of various causes (like PWS!), or trying to locate a missing person, or raise money for something.  But then, I know people who actually do not even go on Facebook, ever....can you believe that?  Some folks can't live without it, and some folks are doing fine never using FB at all.

Then of course, there is the T.witter phenomenon.  I don't twitter or follow others' twittering, at this point.  I've got my phone busy enough already, because I can check e-mails on it.  In fact I think I'm just getting burned out on technology altogether these days - it's this constant, nagging presence!

Have you (yes, you, the one reading this post!) ever done one of those internet-free weeks, or a "technology fast"?  How did it go?  I'm tempted to try this.  It seems like the only way to get perspective and figure out what parts of my technology habits are really important and what parts  can go, is to go cold turkey on it all for a few days at least.  Hmmmm......

Thanks for reading-
Later,
Jen