A Facebook Analogy (or 2!): or why it inspires AND overwhelms me.

I think I got to the crux of my love/hate relationship with Facebook. (Ok, I don't really ever hate it. I only hate myself when I abuse it by neglecting other important aspects of my life. That's the truth right there. Don't hate the amazing tool - just use it wisely... Oh and of course I don't really HATE myself either - nope too busy loving myself over here in all my imperfection to do THAT!)


Anywho, where was I? Oh yeah, an analogy for Facebook. I realized that Facebook is like the WHOLE WORLD - and that's why I enjoy it so much! It contains SO MUCH - everything good, funny, clever, thought provoking, inspiring, life affirming - I can find it there in my newsfeed. (Of course because it contains everything it also contains lots of the other not so inspiring stuff - hateful, gossipy, brain-draining... you get the idea). So I was thinking - of course I can't consume the WHOLE WORLD right now (or ever) - but that's what I try to do by constantly checking in, reeling through my feed to make sure I've seen everything on it (even though of course there is a whole lot more out there NOT in my feed, pages I haven't liked, people I'm not friends with... I supposed this vast internet - connected to FB or not represents the whole UNIVERSE in this little analogy of mine.) The world contains so many things that I want to experience - but of course I can't experience them all today. And as the mother mostly in charge of guiding this family's ship (with input from all shipmates of course!), I have to be selective every day about what is right for us - do we need down time? (Today the answer is a resounding YES! Our new fall schedule seems to leave us exhausted by Friday...) Or do we need a new experience and adventure today? It's up to me as an individual to navigate the world in a way that is healthy for me.

And that is where I fall short sometimes in my ever-evolving relationship with Facebook. I sometimes (often?) consume mindlessly... because it feels good at first. (Here comes my second analogy, are you ready?!) I actually fall in the camp of people who believe Facebook is a pretty  amazing tool - it can connect us to family in friends, inspire us, introduce us to new amazing resources, and on and on. So I thought today, in the vein of "consuming", that it's kind of like eating. And I wouldn't compare Facebook to candy (although I'm sure that there are people who would). I still maintain it can be "good for us" when used properly. Because even food that is "good for us" can be over consumed, can it not? And to continue eating when our stomachs are full and trying desperately to digest what we've already eaten is NOT good for us. Not to mention that we need to do other things besides eat - we need to use that energy for something!

Today I've already reached that point. I've consumed so much goodness from my feed that I'm full. Not only full but over-full - brain spinning, (yet full of cotton - needing some coffee!) and needing to process and get some things out before I come back for another serving.

What do you think? Can you relate to either analogy? How do *you* feel about Facebook and how you use it?