I’m obsessed with our obsessions. I know. Particularly our obsessions with social media, connectivity and things like Facebook. And lately I’ve written quite a bit on it here at the Register, especially concerning setting boundaries online and the importance of enhancing our real friendships.
We have a natural human desire to be connected. It’s how we were made. So it’s interesting to see the ways that manifests itself when we have the opportunities/temptations.
Here’s another infographic dealy-bob (below) about all the latest haps with our obsession with Facebook. What do you think about it? Do you think it’s good? Healthy? Unhealthy?
What are some specific ways this trend has helped or hurt your life? What are some ways that we as Christians can be a good influence on this inevitably continuing trend?
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The most shocking statistic to me is the “48% of young adults who check their Facebook immediately after waking up”. That seems awfully high, but the point holds true, nonetheless. Before taking a shower, before morning prayer, before breakfast, before reading the paper, before taking a walk, young adults check Facebook. Its an apt sign of the priorities of our generation.
FaceBook has helped me in that it put me back in touch with people from so many many years ago, relatives as well. It helped introduce me to some Catholic ministries I didn’t know existed. I love following EWTN, The Vatican, Catholic News organizations etc on FaceBook.
Now for the bad.. I do at times, a lot of times get tired of all this “social media”.. I get tired of all the technology. We as a society have lost touch with the real world. Letter writing has become a lost art. Long phone calls are now replaced by online chats, and texting. These are things that I miss and make a point of continuing to do.. FaceBook can also take up so much time if you let it. I have been trying to reign myself back in by being offline and pursuing my interests that I have let lag such as prayer, reading a book, needle arts etc. I think one needs to realize when social media has taken over to much of their lives and make themselves go back to the basics.
I’m well past the 34 year-old cut-off for young adults, but I use fb as part of my prayer life. I check it and my email before reading Lauds so I can be aware of any friends who need recollection in my prayers. At the same time I open email from my “Saints of the Day” mailing list so that I can invoke them and bring up the USCCB lessons for the day page. Used wisely, social media can be a blessing. It’s that “wisely” stuff that’s tricky.
Wow! This was rather eye-opening for me, as many of the same statistics that appall me also apply to me. Being an unintended perfect illustration of your point, I initially read this article, which I linked to from my FB newsfeed, on my smart phone in bed.
I do think you’re right about it boiling down to the desire to be connected. But, as is often the case, good things can get distorted. Obsession is definitely the word to describe it. As I’ve checked facebook over the last few days, the line from your previous entry about tracking trivial details about people I barely know/am no longer honestly connected to has resonated in my heart.
This is the first time I’ve commented on one of your articles, but, as always, thank you, Matthew, for a job well done! I thoroughly enjoy your blog and the entries you submit here at NCReg. Please don’t ever feel like you may be wasting your time; God truly uses your words to help others, myself included, grow in relationship with Him. God bless!
Just my two cents worth. I canceled my fb account forever last November. It was hard, because I had come to the realization to much time was spent on this site. As a matter of fact perhaps giving up the internet for Lent is something to think about.
The point made is great. I believe that we do need to take advantadge of all the aspects of the media but to use them for a good. Yes as one already pointed out, he uses it to help his prayerlife. But the problem comes when we allow it to run our life. I don’t use facebook because i know that i will waste much of my time doing next to nothing. I am not going to condemn FB. It is a geat tool, yet we can’t get caught up in it as the only means. Robyn pointed out that letter writing is a lost art, I agree. All the letters i receive from my siblings are all in text language and the penmanship is close to that of a nine year old, and my youngest sibling is 16. Sorry for making this so long, but to restate my point We can’t let ourselves be run by the social media. Use it insofar as it helps, and avoid it when it does not.
Those are certainly all good points that have been raised. But for the most part, I think Facebook has been good for me. It has brought me back into contact with people I had lost touch with long ago, and it has also helped me in some ways with my Christian walk; in fact, I discovered NCRegister through that social network.
Wow…what really got me was: “57% of people talk to people more online than they do in real life” In this world of social media we are forming virtual relationships, but are we becoming socially lazy? Why aren’t we spending “real time” with the person? On the related topic of obsessions and infographics,check this out: http://www.theporneffect.com/deacon-ralph-poyo/238-latest-statistics I was shocked to read the stats of #7 and #9.
Yep, I’m in that group that checks Facebook first thing.
Here’s the thing, though: I’m also a young mother of three kids under four expecting #4 in August. I get really bad pregnancy fatigue, and it’s Midwest Winter where I live. If I didn’t have a phone and social media, my vocabulary would devolve to the point where I speak like the person I spend the most time around who has the largest vocabulary: my three year old. That being said, I don’t do the apps or games or anything, I just use it to stay in touch with people. If I were not house-bound, interacting with people in real life would be better. But, since that’s not an option for me, Facebook is great.
As with any other technology, it’s all about how you employ it and how you manage it.
The best tool I’ve found to help with this is Better Facebook (betterfacebook.net). It’s free and does so many things to help usability.
Most important, it can auto-hide things you don’t need to read at all, or tuck them away in tabs if you don’t need to read them just now.
Too many “Friends” that you only want to check in on every now and then? Move them to their own tab. Amazon Gold Box deals cluttering up your feed, but on occasion you still want to be able to see what the latest deals are? Move them to their own tab. Businesses you “liked” to show support or enter a contest or something, but you really don’t need to read their updates ever (or have grown tired of them…I’m looking at you, Dos Equis guy)? Have them automatically squelched.
Installing and making full use of Better Facebook; disabling the application platform entirely to wipe out all timewasting, unrewarding games; and keeping live chat closed at all times have all combined to dramatically decrease the amount of time and attentiveness Facebook sucks away from my life.
(So now I can waste more time commenting on blogs instead!)
Is your teen or young adult completely obsessed with facebook and it’s interfering with their life? Would you like to get them some help?
Pink Sneakers Productions is currently casting for a new documentary series about American teens and young adults completely obsessed with facebook and other social networking.
If you want to get your teen or young adult some help and share your story for a documentary, please e-mail casting@pinksneakers.net.
Include your name and age, and we’ll get back to you with more information.
Very informative sir, This actually helped me alot …thnx for this kind of informative post…
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