The thing about facebook...

So I was off facebook for Lent. Actually, I was off for the two weeks before Lent and then throughout the season. And...I really liked it. Really liked it. So much so that I've been reluctant to get back on. Aside from it being a good experience to connect with God instead of clicking on the facebook shortcut, I think the Lenten season of facebook freedom revealed for me some ways in which facebook is not all that great for me, especially in large doses.

For one thing, there's the timesuck factor. I go on facebook to see if anyone has commented on my status and the next thing you know I've been on for 30 minutes. I have enough troubles managing my time well; having the inevitable facebook timecreep on top of that doesn't help!

Next, I think facebook pushes my issues of comparison. I mean, in my life I've had issues from time to time comparing myself to others. Facebook provides a context for me to do so each and every time I log on. So and so is getting a raise. So and so got their Masters. Blah, blah, blah. I live my life these days mostly free from the temptation to compare myself to others; for me facebook is a half step back toward bondage.

Lastly, it can get at my self-esteem junk. You know, the stuff where I seek the approval of others to make me feel whole and important. So if no one (or few people, or the "wrong" people) comment on my oh-so-witty post, well that's a downer. Somehow it can become a referendum on my worth. Again, I am nowhere near as prone to this stuff as I used to be, but facebook doesn't help.

Now that Lent is passed and it's cool to be back on facebook, I'm totally ambivalent about it. It's not realistic to not be on facebook. After all, it's a primary way to connect to lots of folks. But, that said, I think I'm going to limit myself to checking facebook once a day, sometime early in the day. We'll see how that goes.