Well oops - the researcher became the subject as it were!
I woke up one day and realized that I start and end my days with Facebook. That I carried it with me in my handbag (ie. my phone). That I was never really OFF the damn thing!
Well - actually a few things shook me awake - like some very real world experiences that proved my early observations that folks take Facebook WAY too seriously - assuming all representations of their lives there equate reality; that validity is gained there first. Concurrent with this were a couple of rude awakenings of very aggressive behaviours and presumptuous expectations from virtual strangers - 'virtual' being the operative word here.
Facebook and the like (no pun) have never been more for me than sites to promote professional efforts, to communicate with supporters in a personable way, to have fun exchanging written banter on shared interests with friends and acquaintances, and to exchange links + fotos with my peeps/REAL members of my physical life. (Ironically less exchanges actually happen with my physical-world friends on these platforms - perhaps because we have 'reality' - lol). I guess in short, FB is like an interactive address book, bookmark keeper, and calendar that makes us all appear to have great memories when it comes to birthdays (come on - birthdays on Facebook rock! lol), or far more active lives by virtue of the 'LiKes' and links we share!
But somewhere in between my sociological/artistic observation and research of this for my project BRANDED... and me being a participant, I engaged in some of the very same behaviours I was analyzing in others. I remained fiercely private about matters that don't belong there, and never attacked anyone, but around mid Summer of last year I started spending an inordinate number of hours on that thing! I started needing that interaction for ego strokes, a good laugh at stupid jokes (fun times! sigh...), stimulating conversations/debates at a 'safe' distance, blah blah blah. I also justified this in the name of promotional necessity for my work.
The first important statistical fact that bubbled to the surface and smacked my face in was the fact that I wasn't really promoting that much - save for a show post here and there, or appeal to 'LiKe' my page...(eye roll). Further, I felt I was running out of things to promote. I spent hours here, thus reducing the amount of free time I had for the life I was investing in before, like writing on this blog for instance; creating more photograpahic or collaborative projects; teaching art with orgs I support; writing proposal submissions for my work; soliciting paying jobs...etc. Though I have met or reunited with a number of great souls and characters there, the bottom line is that much time spent on FB has not resulted in any appreciable improvement to my physical work process as an artist, nor has it resulted in increased commissions and sales for my work. Not the way all real life and blogger interractions do. It's like high school where one will forego doing homework so you can play in the right circles for popularity points. Who wants to miss the next viral post that proves you being current?! The number one procrastination tool confessed to by millions is Facebook! Wow. All I'm saying is like all things, there needs to be
...b a l a n c e. Of course this is obvious - as I've continually examined here on this journey blog. But to wake up inside this particular belly as it were has been a bit stinky and I wear this stink with a bit of embarrassment too, hence my need write it all out here. I believe if we cover up, hide, or 'front' - the beast wins. So...
...the most liberating thing was to decide to take a break from that amoebic blue world beast - at least for a little while - lol.
A friend of mine, Jimmy, who does this often always referred to Facebook as a country - "sometimes I fly in, visit loved ones - hang out in new spots, meet a couple folks, and then I return home".
And so I've posted this on Facebook and flown home. I've set up my bathroom darkroom and spent hours doing pinhole photography. Sweet liberation to be shared in subsequent posts.
APRIL 27, 2012:
Not that
this is MaJoR news yeah, but I've been told that without prior warning
of FB sabbaticals some folks might create the wrong ideas when they
suddenly see a 'friend' disappear.
So...I'm checking out temporarily from MAY 1st to JULY.
I
confess that I have fallen into the FB addiction trap - woke up one day
a realized this place is getting more of my time than my actual work
is. I know - such an unusual observation right?!!! Well I like being
on top of my creative work and blogging about that, and other such
pass-times as old-fashioned emails, phone calls, yoga, chocolate, cheese
shopping, etc. I need to plug out of this and plug deep into feeding
my soul. :)
I expect I'll see many of you in REAL life,
and on other spots like ...twitter (so far that'll stay up tho I still
have NO idea how that thing really works...). But yah - May 1st (that's
Tuesday) FB gets the boot for bit... will play til then. :)
One Love Munchkins and Happy Weekend!
B
A fellow Facebooker who thought it a good idea to do the same - photographer Jim Northorp:
Cyber-Celibacy Facebook No Mo?
Cyber-Celibacy Facebook No Mo?
RELATED POSTS:
-Some talk about a new project...'BRANDED' (Oct 2010)
-Awakening in the Illusion (Sept 2010)
-Apathy as Peace of Mind? (April 2010)
