{"id":16349,"date":"2012-05-14T12:08:26","date_gmt":"2012-05-14T17:08:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=16349"},"modified":"2012-05-14T12:08:26","modified_gmt":"2012-05-14T17:08:26","slug":"unliking-facebook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/05\/unliking-facebook\/","title":{"rendered":"Unliking Facebook"},"content":{"rendered":"

Friendster, MySpace, Facebook?<\/p>\n

While the numbers on usage continue to impress, is Facebook on the decline? Facebook used to be the cool social network. Not only did you need an .edu e-mail address to sign-up, initially, you had to wait until your<\/em>\u00a0school was cool enough to join the Facebook ranks. Then it opened to all universities, then eventually everyone over 13. Now, everyone has a Facebook account. My mom, my almost 93-year old grandfather, my friend’s dog.<\/p>\n

Businesses have slowly increased their presence on Facebook. Virtually every organization has a Facebook presence. Facebook went from being cool to just being standard.<\/p>\n

This isn’t a bad thing, but it has changed the service. How differently do you use Facebook now?<\/p>\n

Frankly, I’ve\u00a0abandoned\u00a0much of my Facebook usage, rather my Facebook browsing. Except for a small group that I’m a member, I only use Facebook to promote myself, my writings or creations or to share pictures of the kids that I know my family and extended friends may enjoy.<\/p>\n

Each Lent, many friends give up Facebook for Lent similar to how I gave up my iPod Touch. In retrospect, now that I’ve been able to use my device again, I actually miss having an “excuse” to not use it. Facebook is designed to be a total time sink that draws you into it, making it hard for you to turn it off. Everything everyone you’ve ever known shares, by default, constantly flows past your eyes (including whatever I’m self-promoting at the time).<\/p>\n

Yes, you can take the time to fine-tune the settings to only allow certain people to appear on your news feed or do this or do that. But how many people do that? How many “have the time” to do it, \u00a0only to get sucked into the void of overall useless information?<\/p>\n

I don’t mean to paint Facebook with such a negative brush, but only to note that I’m hearing more and more people saying that either they have completely left Facebook or prouder than ever that they aren’t on the social network. For sometime, I didn’t understand, but it makes a lot of sense now, whether or not I join them.<\/p>\n

Facebook is one of the many things in life that we can find ourselves sucked into, wasting large amounts of time that we could be using more productively. Whether it is sleeping, writing more thought-out\u00a0correspondence\u00a0to friends or family, spending time with our friends or family, doing school, freelance or volunteer work, or spent in prayer or other activities meant to fuel our spiritual life, there are plenty of other things to do besides the time sinks of TV, Netflix, Facebook and others.<\/p>\n

I’m a big techy. I’m not suggesting we go Amish and cancel\/throw out anything like this, but it’s all about balance. From the friends and associates that have voiced their Facebook fasting to me, keeping Facebook in check is something that more and more people are finding\u00a0necessary\u00a0to a balance life.<\/p>\n

Feature image sourced from Flickr:\u00a0http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/constantskeptic\/<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Friendster, MySpace, Facebook? While the numbers on usage continue to impress, is Facebook on the decline? Facebook used to be the cool social network. Not only did you need an .edu e-mail address to sign-up, initially, you had to wait until your\u00a0school was cool enough to join the Facebook ranks. Then it opened to all… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[4,90],"tags":[318,747,285],"class_list":{"0":"post-16349","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-blog","7":"category-faith-blog","8":"tag-facebook","9":"tag-life-balance","10":"tag-social-media-2","11":"entry","12":"has-post-thumbnail"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":35972,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/02\/is-facebook-making-you-depressed\/","url_meta":{"origin":16349,"position":0},"title":"Is Facebook Making You Depressed?","author":"Elizabeth","date":"February 11, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Two-thirds of American adults are on Facebook. 69% of adults in this country find themselves updating their statuses, changing their profile pictures and adding photos and videos to share with family and friends. And according to the PEW Research Center, between Feb. 2005 and August 2006 the use of social\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Social Media and Tech"","block_context":{"text":"Social Media and Tech","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/social-media\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"images","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/images.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11059,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/02\/social-media-and-the-full-impact-of-the-gospel\/","url_meta":{"origin":16349,"position":1},"title":"Social Media and the Full Impact of the Gospel","author":"Meghan James","date":"February 8, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Technology. The definition from the Dictionary (as cited from http:\/\/www.dictionary.com) tech\u00b7nol\u00b7o\u00b7gy [tek-nol-uh-jee] noun: 1. the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and\u00a0use of technical means and their interrelation with life,\u00a0society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects\u00a0as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science. Everywhere we look\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Youth"","block_context":{"text":"Youth","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/youth\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/filename.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":39747,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/05\/fighting-for-life-on-facebook\/","url_meta":{"origin":16349,"position":2},"title":"Fighting for LIFE on Facebook","author":"Elizabeth","date":"May 20, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"We're touted as the pro-life generation. I have no doubt of that, but how are we still losing to a popular culture of death? Let me give you some background information. I attended a Christian university in Texas with deep roots to Baptist traditions. Last week, I was on Facebook\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Screen Shot 2013-05-19 at 5.39.50 PM copy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/Screen-Shot-2013-05-19-at-5.39.50-PM-copy.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":21959,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/08\/acnm-the-cnmc-and-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":16349,"position":3},"title":"ACNM, The CNMC, and You!","author":"Jason Elizondo","date":"August 24, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Next week Dallas-Ft. Worth will be host to the Catholic New Media Conference hosted by SQPN. \u00a0If you have any interest in Catholic new media and the\u00a0new evangelization you should make plans to try and attend at least one day of this three day conference. \u00a0The CNMC will focus on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/CNMC_Iwillbethere_250x250.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":29159,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/12\/and-the-winners-are\/","url_meta":{"origin":16349,"position":4},"title":"And The Winners Are!!","author":"Jason Elizondo","date":"December 17, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Thanks to everyone who has been participating in ACNM's first Advent Challenge via the site, Twitter and Facebook. We lots of great feedback this week and we've selected two winners via random drawing to receive a copy of \"The Greatest Miracle\" provided to use by\u00a0the Maximus Group. And the winners\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/greatestmiracle.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":37840,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/02\/the-10-commandments-of-social-media-use-for-teens\/","url_meta":{"origin":16349,"position":5},"title":"The 10 Commandments of Social Media use for Teens","author":"Kathryn Whitaker","date":"February 26, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Every kid does it. No matter how straight the A\u2019s, smart the brain, talented the athlete or pious the altar server\u2014at some point in life, your child is going to lie to you. A few weeks ago our 11-year-old did just that. He opened an Instagram account even though we\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Social-Media-Use-for-Teens-300x250.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16349"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16349\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}