Yes, I’m gonna go 24 hours without FB.
What made me ... ?
Today in the office a colleague sitting next to me had a question about a sample language exam task she was holding. I felt overly competent to answer her, being lucky enough to be a contributor to one of the “products” of the language exam centre in question.
After answering her question I felt the urge to show her the “product”, a funny Facebook app that posts 5-minute tasks three times a week right to you, quick, engaging, useful, I love it, my favourite pastime is doing my part of it. This week’s tasks I am especially proud of.
So I quickly presented the task, she liked it and (with a frown on her face) she made a remark: “Pity it’s only available on Facebook. Why don’t they put it on their website?” She pointed out she felt excluded from things as she was not on Facebook. I was .... very surprised ..... To me it sounded like “How unfair that swimming is only for those who go into the water.”
The idea of putting the Facebook game on the website left me cold as an Eskimo’s tombstone.
I said (upset as slightly as only I noticed) “Hey, but there is a six week long, entirely free, quality e-learning exam prep course on that website!” (Which was not the point either, I admit :))
She said yes, she knew about that but ... And she went on with the usual anti-Facebook things like how annoying the whole Facebook thing was, not being on Facebook meant you didn't exist, .... tadadadadaaaaa...
Then I wanted to ask her why she hasn't registered, but she was faster. She said she wouldn't register after all because she wasn't interested in the stuff going on there at all.
Pretty shocked I was, sitting there, paralysed (She was already gone:) No boasting with the funny task, no joyous feeling over how great social media was ... but ... puzzled.
Dilemmas:
Am I so much used to Facebook that I can’t see it’s flip-side?
Have I been so heavily devoured by social media that I can’t see real life?
Am I an addict? Pathetic? Narcississsiissssiissstic???
But but .... that is the source of my daily online professional development! Or is it just an illusion?
I’m connected with like-minded “friends from all over the world! Is that all fake?
Do I really harness Facebook and use it consciously or I'm just driven away by its devil 24/7?
It all happened some time around midday. By midnight it has been decided:
I'm having a day deliberately without Facebook.
What do I expect?
I will miss it. I will want to look around for news, professional treats, fun, music from friends and students, quotes and motivational wisdom, chats with close and distant friends, emoticons, real stories, opinions, humour woven throughout comment threads by friends and strangers, booooohoooooooo :’(
Nevertheless I must see this. What will this experience feel like? What thoughts will it bring about? Will it reveal my addiction or prove my view social media? Will I want to change my Facebook habits afterwards? Will I commit facebookicide in the end?
What will I do for a day?
I will go into a kind of self observation. I want write a mini-diary about it. (I won’t have too many lessons as is is the flu season, hopefully time is not going to be a problem.)
Sooooo, let’s get started!!
Click here for the diary.
No comments:
Post a Comment