"Everyone seems to be on Facebook--it has become the major mode of communication for many of us, including myself. You know how people say, "I don't know how we ever got by without such-and-such?" Cell phones, DVDs, the internet? Well, I have decided to give up Facebook for Lent in order to see if it is possible to go backward in technological time and survive. It's an attempt to reclaim a big chunk of my life, and to time for myself and for God. This blog is intended as a humorous but truthful daily reflection on that experience. It is part devotional, part journal, part discovery of life without an internet community. I am interested in exploring how our Facebook and other internet interactions reflect the people we've become in the modern world. Does being the Presbyterian Church inform our status updates, or vice versa? Does texting and Instant Messaging really speed up our communication, or does it limit us? What does it mean to be a faithful steward of the information highway? Is it wrecking our intimacy, or drawing us closer together? I'm curious about all of these questions, and I'm sure there are even better questions out there regarding Facebook and Faith that I haven't even considered."
I look forward to seeing how it goes!
(As for myself, I've tried to give up staying up too late, because I believe that bad habit gets in the way of everything else I want to be and do. Unfortunately, the Olympics are making my challenge very hard!)
I wish "Sophie" well in her endeavors, but this has become so much of a trend that I simply have to post a couple of counterpoints:
ReplyDeleteFrom Bruce Reyes-Chow
From Julie Clawson
Thanks for the shout out Sarah! To answer Nicodemus, for what it's worth, I didn't realize it was a trend at all. I see giving up Facebook for Lent as moving away from something that was becoming a Narcissistic compulsion in my own life, and a return to more "real time" conversations and interactions. I wanted to literally reclaim some of my time back, and I really mean to spend it hanging out with God.
ReplyDeleteThat said, some friends of mine from Facebook have commented that they feel somewhat abandoned, even though they say this with a light spirit. But I've reminded each of them that have said this that they have my phone number and email address if life without me gets to be too much. ;)
Giving up Facebook is such a huge deal to me that I decided to start a blog for journaling purposes and to reflect on technology, Faith, and our humanity.
For me, giving up my internet community was something that I knew would have a huge impact on my life and would not be easy. Every time I sit down to the computer I have to remind myself of this Spiritual journey. Isn't that partly what Lent is about?
Respectfully, Sophie's Child