I wonder, seriously, if my decision to take a break from Facebook is a slap in the face of the friends I care about. Am I telling them the platform is too onerous, too taxing to my psyche, for me to tolerate it; that their presence is not enough to warrant my continued involvement?
That’s what worries me at the moment. That I’ve inadvertently told people I care about that I don’t care enough about them to tolerate a social media platform that tends to bother me at times.
I am rethinking things. Again. I always do that. And maybe I’ve convinced myself, already, that my decision was selfish and unthinking. Damn me. Damn me so much. I am so bloody bad at telling people who matter that they matter.
I appreciate both of your comments. And, Juan, I agree with your points. I’ve decided to return to Facebook, though, to recapture ready access to “what’s going on” with people I like. I can, and do, choose to ignore most others. Mostly, it’s about the food! I miss the food conversations!
Maybe, but by equal respect by others, you’re not responsible to “them” for your comings and goings on FB or any other platform for that matter. FB friends need to understand that.
Consider, too, the inverse: All of us are obligated to stay on FB on account of friends? No way!
In fact, I see value in your removal from FB for a bit: You are contributing to the “FB cultural understanding of choice.” Anyone of us should be able to “deal out” when we choose without fear of subjective interpretations by others.
In comparing notes:
1. I think the memory of FB is as long as the next 3 posts. All are lost in a sea of dialogue in matter of moments.
2. FB — sociologically speaking — cannot really be compared to F2F culture. They are different, with FB actually like a vast frontier of new experiences, expectations and understanding.
your true friends who know you will understand.