A few months ago, when I was still working full time and not sporadically in my pajamas, I thought to myself, “Self, you are spending too much time on Facebook.” And I’d set little goals for myself in order to decrease my time on the site. I’d wait until after lunch to check it, try to stay away from it when I got home from work, etc. However, then I found myself unemployed, and all of my positive Facebook-related intentions went out the window. The first thing I do when I get up in the morning (besides brew a pot of coffee) is check my email and check Facebook. I often just leave it open while I am doing other things, as it sort of allows me to pretend that I’m in a social space. (I miss having an office to go to.)
I have recently started telling stories to friends and family members that begin with, “So on Facebook today…” It has become less a website and more an actual place where things happen. Which I suppose it is, really. I can say “hi” to former coworkers, friends, family members; I can participate in topical discussions and share things that I think are amusing. Facebook is essentially a way to participate in the public sphere without ever leaving my laptop. In some ways, engaging in social media sites like Twitter and Facebook is more “social” than going to hang out at a coffee shop. The things I say on Facebook reach an audience of almost 200 people, after all.
I had intended to make this sort of a funny post about my Facebook addiction, but it’s actually made me think a lot. Now that I am unemployed/working from home, I spend a lot more time alone than I used to. I don’t mind spending time alone; in fact, I like it. However, isolation can be sort of depressing, and the Internet has really helped me counter this depression-of-too-much-isolation. Because when I’m online, I’m engaging with other people. I’m feeling like people care about me (even in a shallow Facebook kind of way), and are interested in what I have to say. Though I do feel sometimes like we’re all a little too connected, I think the way social media increase these connections is ultimately emotionally healthy for us. (Although, yes, sometimes I do feel like I have a bit TMI about casual acquaintances.)
Is it an illusion? Maybe a little. I certainly don’t think that “online” time is as valuable as “in person” time with real friends and family. And I certainly look forward to having somewhere to go when I wake up in the morning again.
“And though we may not be alone in the universe, in our own separate ways, on this planet, we are all alone.” – Jose Chung
