I am reminded this weekend of the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ reason why I took myself off of Facebook a year ago. The information was no easier hearing it in person than it was reading it online. I’m not going to rant too much about that, but I find the timing interesting as there have been some recent news articles and news videos about Facebook lately that don’t make me regret* my decision to take myself off the popular social media site.
*Actually I have only one regret which I explain below.
A term for everything
It seems that I was not alone in experiencing various emotions when using Facebook writing and reading posts. It turns out there in now a term for it; Facebook envy. There are a growing number of people who are getting depressed and sad when they are reading about the lives of their friends. Those producing the content on Facebook seemed to be a bit immune to this problem unless of course no one was responding and liking what they were posting about.
What to do about it
Taking yourself completely off might not be a perfect solutions for all users. Some days I wish I still had access to the site from a pure professional perspective I want to understand better how the site could be used for demand generation. But I suspect that most people use the site for personal reasons. They have to determine what it really means to cut themselves off.
Recommendations
1) I find that I don’t have as much contact information for my old friends as I used to now. So if you were to leave make sure you record their email addresses and any other contact information somewhere.
2) Don’t forget about email. It might be a good idea to reach out to others using email and let people know how you are doing. It will be one way to make sure that you have their correct email addresses and also signal to them that you want to stay in touch and that communicating by email is your preferred method.
3) Just don’t use it. I decided to completely remove my account and all images/files associated with my account. You don’t have to be that extreme if you're dissatisfied with Facebook and you’re experiencing signs of Facebook Envy. Keep your account active and only check it once a month. It is the ‘one foot in, one foot out’ approach, which for the professional reasons I mentioned, I wish I would have done that.
Whatever one does is completely up to them, I would never make a recommendation to anyone in either direction. I just know that feeling envious about anything is not a great way to feel. It can be destructive to your mental health and destroy your self worth. Instead you need to do what will make you feel happy regardless if someone “Likes” it or not.
What is your take on Facebook Envy? Real or Fake?
*Actually I have only one regret which I explain below.
A term for everything
It seems that I was not alone in experiencing various emotions when using Facebook writing and reading posts. It turns out there in now a term for it; Facebook envy. There are a growing number of people who are getting depressed and sad when they are reading about the lives of their friends. Those producing the content on Facebook seemed to be a bit immune to this problem unless of course no one was responding and liking what they were posting about.
What to do about it
Taking yourself completely off might not be a perfect solutions for all users. Some days I wish I still had access to the site from a pure professional perspective I want to understand better how the site could be used for demand generation. But I suspect that most people use the site for personal reasons. They have to determine what it really means to cut themselves off.
Recommendations
1) I find that I don’t have as much contact information for my old friends as I used to now. So if you were to leave make sure you record their email addresses and any other contact information somewhere.
2) Don’t forget about email. It might be a good idea to reach out to others using email and let people know how you are doing. It will be one way to make sure that you have their correct email addresses and also signal to them that you want to stay in touch and that communicating by email is your preferred method.
3) Just don’t use it. I decided to completely remove my account and all images/files associated with my account. You don’t have to be that extreme if you're dissatisfied with Facebook and you’re experiencing signs of Facebook Envy. Keep your account active and only check it once a month. It is the ‘one foot in, one foot out’ approach, which for the professional reasons I mentioned, I wish I would have done that.
Whatever one does is completely up to them, I would never make a recommendation to anyone in either direction. I just know that feeling envious about anything is not a great way to feel. It can be destructive to your mental health and destroy your self worth. Instead you need to do what will make you feel happy regardless if someone “Likes” it or not.
What is your take on Facebook Envy? Real or Fake?
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