My husband and I deleted our Facebook accounts around the holidays last year and let me tell you I've hardly missed it. It was easy for Mike to delete his account because he never really wanted it in the first place, but it was a little more difficult for me to decide to pull the plug since I checked it so many times every day!! Once I did though it was smooth sailing! So here are my top five reasons for deleting my Facebook account:
1. I was uncomfortable with so much information about myself being on the Internet.
2. I was annoyed with how many times per day I checked it, just to see if anyone had updated anything.
3. I was constantly comparing my life to my Facebook friends (where they usually only post the positive things anyway)
4. I could see it as a potential hazard to my marriage because its so easy to contact anyone day or night without your spouse knowing.
(Note: I wasn't tempted to do this, but I could see how it could easily happen to anyone who wasn't carefully guarding who they were friends with or contacting especially if they were unhappy in their own marriage. I recently read a statistic that 20% of divorces today cite Facebook for at least part of the cause.)
5. I couldn't see anyway that I was glorifying God in my time spent on Facebook.
Now I'm not saying that Facebook is a bad thing, but for me it's been very beneficial to be rid of it. I know there are many positive aspects to Facebook such as keeping in contact with far away family and friends, but for me the bad outweighed the good.
What positive and negatives do you see with Facebook?
Do you have an account? Why or why not?
I agree that too many people spend too much time on FB. I do have an account and enjoy it but do not spend hours day on it. I keep contact with my brother and sister who are stationed across the country and it makes getting pictures of my niece and nephew very easy. Some people share way too much online. I have my privacy settings almost as high as they will go and anyone I am not friends with can only see my profile picture.
ReplyDeleteAmen amen amen!! I deleted my about a year ago for many of the same reasons. I needed to commit to making friendships in my new country of South Africa instead of wishing I was with other friends/family in different continents. It's been a much needed break :) It's crazy how we can get addicted to pretty much anything!!
ReplyDeleteI love facebook. I advertise my blog through it. I keep up on all my friends and relatives. I love looking at pictures of other's babies and what is going on in their lives. For me, it has been a wonderful thing!
ReplyDeleteI think there just needs to be some balance. Some people can get addicted very easily and then there is wasted time that spent on FB, so I understand the bad aspect of it. But FB can also be a great way to witness to friends and family. Plus getting to keep in contact with those I otherwise would not be able to, like you said. FB can be good or bad, but it really comes down to how you personally handle it.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I both do not use facebook. We decided not to use it very early in our relationship (even before getting married) and it was a very beneficial decision.
ReplyDeleteI've had an account for a couple of years, and my hubby has one, too. In my case, I've actually taken opportunities to witness about Christ quite a bit on Facebook, and it has kept me in touch with many people I would not otherwise know or know as well. For example, because I'm home and homeschooling full-time, I don't have as much chance as I'd like to spend time fellowshipping with ladies from church. But, through FB, we see at a glance what's happening in each other's lives during the week, and that has actually helped us to connect better when we see each other on Sundays. I definitely think it's one of those matters, though, for personal conviction - it's neutral in and of itself, but we each need to follow the Lord's promptings about our involvement with it.
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