Facebook: Then and Now

I’ve lost that loving feeling. Whoa whoa whoa!  How I loved Facebook back in the day. Yeah, back in the day was only a few years ago, but oh my how fast things change.

Facebook: The Good ol’ Days

How I miss when people shared little snippets from their daily lives. Okay I’m glad we progressed from the

• I’m getting a drink of water.
• I’m going to read a book.
• (Insert name here) is happy.

types of posts. Granted in the early days it could be a bit monotonous, but it was connecting with people from all walks of life that I so enjoyed!

“I don’t do Facebook. I can’t. It’s too depressing.”

I have heard thinks like that from so many people through the years, but I really never understood it. How was it so depressing? It was GREAT!

The Turning Point

Through the years I heard lots of talk about all the negatives about Facebook, but didn’t see much of it myself until the elections of 2016. Wow that time really brought out the ugly in many didn’t it? Scary! I don’t know if it was happening all along, but during that time is when I saw a huge shift among my friends in how people use and interact on their personal Facebook pages. Then there was the whole Facebook privacy scandal. Truth or fiction it did change how people interact on the platform.

Experience is always a great teacher, no?

That 2016 election year madness also came during one of the most stressful years of my life–great big move to south Texas! So much uncertainty in work, finding a house, hospitalizations, cancer…and so much more. It was one huge thing after another. The effects of the prolonged high stress left me fighting depression. In my state I definitely saw things differently. When I found myself fighting depression like a crazy woman, scrolling through my Facebook feed was a real bummer!

Facebook now.

This is when I lost my love of Facebook. It was no longer bits and pieces of people’s every day lives like it once had been.

Personal Facebook profiles have largely become:

1. big news announcements: Weddings, funerals, bucket list trips, births, tragedies etc. or

2. a place to share propaganda.

With the vast amount of people on Facebook, I agree it’s the best place to spread the word of big life changes and reach people quickly for prayer and encouragement in crisis situations. I’m right there with ya!

Besides the announcements, my Facebook feed is left mostly with propaganda. Whether it be politics, religion, or business related posts, it seems like most have an agenda. I’m not here to argue whether someone should or shouldn’t be sharing these kinds of posts. What people want to share is their business.

It’s just that the Facebook experience is no longer personal. To quote You’ve Got Mail, my feeling about Facebook is “Whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being personal.” 🙂

No, I’m not ditching Facebook. I’m not deleting my profile, not that I haven’t been tempted, but I have lost my love of Facebook. I’m hoping it comes back though. I may make some changes and take a step back when things are tough in my life, but I’m going to keep it real and personal sharing my daily craziness along with my big life announcements and propaganda. Ha!