Facebook vs Real Life, part 2

Less than 3 min read

Again, Facebook isn’t all bad.  It’s a convenient way to share pictures of loved ones if you don’t live in the same part of the country or the same country period.  Or, in my case, share my thoughts for whoever might be interested.  However, if we spend too much time on there it can easily lead to envy or just a general dissatisfaction with one’s current state in life.

We cannot escape the trap of comparing our entire lives with only the best of other’s lives.  As my principal at school used to encourage the teachers though, if you have a complaint about something, don’t come empty handed without a possible solution.

There are a few solutions I would like to offer that most likely no one reading this blog will take, but, what are you going to do, right?

First, limit your time on there.  There’s a pretty good chance (I’d say 90% or more) that the average person truly has no idea how much time they’re spending on Facebook.  There is a time tracker app I’ve used for a couple years called Rescue Time that is an easy way to get a feel for how much time you’re spending on Facebook or any other thing on your phone, tablet and laptop.  Easy to install and easy to use, both things I like.

After you see how much time you spend on there in an average week, set a goal to lower that time.  Or perhaps be more aware of how much time you’re spending scrolling vs connecting through writing actual messages through messenger.

Second, and I would really love for someone to develop this, I’d like there to be an app or website similar to pinterest fails.  Something like ‘Facebook vs Real Life’ with the pictures someone posts on Facebook alongside either a short bio of what really happened or pictures of the ‘not so photographic’ parts of the moment.  I have no idea how to even so much as write html code but I would imagine there could be a decent return on investment if someone were to make this.  At the very least it would provide a lot of us with a good chuckle.

Third, and the most radical of all, stop using Facebook.  The article suggests giving it up for even just a week.  Might be a good challenge to accept.  Maybe even just give up the home feed part and keep the Messenger app.  See if you notice anything different about yourself.  Do you go in a withdrawal state?  Do you connect with people in real life better?  Are you less envious or even just less dissatisfied or slightly depressed?  Just something to consider.