It's Just A F.A.D.

***First off let me start by saying this post is not to criticize others or to blame anyone. It is strictly my opinion on a matter that seems to be a large part of today's society. ***

So about two months ago I decided to jump off the Facebook band wagon. There were many reasons for this but overall I figured it would be the best thing for me at that time. I found it over rated and overall does it really help our self esteem? I know it didn't for me. All those "friends" that you never talk to and honestly never even see. Can we truly consider these people "friends"? In my opinion they're nothing close to that. At most they're acquaintances.

I don't remember any positive experiences I've personally had with Facebook but I do remember plenty of negative and unnecessary things that occurred because of this social network. One still bothers me immensely to this day. A while back my ex and I were at one of his family things. We were sitting kind of off away from the larger part of the group. His mother was off talking to her sisters and I couldn't believe what I was over hearing. People were asking who I was and I heard her explain that I was his friend and we were "sort of dating" she then proceeds to say "I don't know, I don't think it's Facebook official." this is a woman in her late forties possibly early fifties. Seriously???? Did she seriously just say that?!? What has the world come to that for a relationship to be real it must be declared on Facebook? Absolutely ridiculous! It made me even more mad because at this point in time we had been dating for a good 2 months. It wasn't any secret that we were together. And for a family that was so against texting with others around, too much computer time, and dare I say too much of any technology, I was absolutely shocked! 

 My personal preference is to not list any relationship on Facebook unless you are seriously engaged or married, which leads me to an interesting fact. 1/3 of the divorce filings in 2011 included the word "Facebook". Does it really benefit any relationship? 1/3. That's a pretty large chunk.

I know a lot of people who have Facebook and the thought about deleting it isn't even an option.

- It's how I stay connected with long distance and old friends.
- I like seeing what other people are doing.
- it gives me something to do when I'm bored.
- It lets me talk to friends and family.

To me this boils down to one thing.... Addiction. I know that for me this was probably the case especially back in the days of high school and early college. I remember being in Europe and going to an Internet cafe or even the local McDonald's to get wifi just to see what was going on back at home. How pathetic. I'm in Europe, shouldn't I be out trying to soak in everything and make the most of my trip? Except no, I wasted time on Facebook.

My next question is how addicting is Facebook really? I know that when I had it I would log in honestly around 5 times a day. Granted I didn't stay on longer than a few minutes but still.... That's a lot!

So are you buying into this F.A.D.? Facebook Addiction Disorder. Yes, it is a real thing. 

"Facebook Addiction Disorder, is a condition that is defined by hours spent on Facebook, so much time in fact that the healthy balance of the individual’s life is affected. It has been said that approximately 350 million people are suffering from the disorder."

Crazy that it's come to this. 

Now this is not me saying anybody who has Facebook is terrible, it is just my opinion on the matter. Facebook can be beneficial in some ways and I'm not arguing against that.  Since I got rid of mine and started paying attention it is amazing at how many conversations involve or start with Facebook. I know that since I've gotten rid of mine it's helped me immensely. There are times however that I am tempted to reactivate it and just see what's going on but every time I manage to talk myself out of it. Now I'm not saying I'm never going to get back on Facebook and truth be told I most likely will at some point, but for the time being I'm better off without it. 

What are your thoughts?