Should We Delete Our Facebook Accounts?
In today’s world, social media is such a huge distraction in our lives that some people and even experts have expressed concerns. We may feel we are more connected but in reality, it’s just an illusion. At the same time, I have also seen the good that social media platforms like Facebook can bring to people all around the world. I have seen legitimate NGOs successfully raise funds for their projects, share encouraging messages that make a difference in someone’s life, and so many other positive outcome from engaging in social media. Just like in everything we do, moderation and motivation plays a key role in the outcome of our actions, and this applies even to something as simple as social media.
So, why do you use social media? Do you use it to spread positivity and create betterment? Do you use it to create awareness of the world’s inequalities and injustices? Or do you use it for negative reasons – to vent your anger, nurture your self-pity and to create disharmony? These are important points to reflect on especially if our motivation in life is to benefit others.
Do read the interesting article below and share your thoughts.
Tsem Rinpoche
10 Reasons Why I Deleted my Facebook Account
By S.V. Pillay
Today I permanently deleted my Facebook account.
I have enjoyed Facebook since 2008, and have been able to reconnect with a few good friends because of it. I once considered myself a fan.
It sounds silly, caring about a social network, someone’s company…but the fact is, it’s become a basic part of millions of lives, as basic as, say, cars and bikes…but I’m not a fan anymore. I have come to view Facebook as an insidious addition to my daily existence, one that has been sucking my lifeblood, drop by precious drop.
The following is a list of 10 reasons why I deleted my Facebook account:
#1 Facebook’s new layout sucks
I’m glad it’s coming around, though, otherwise I might still be on Facebook. I find the timeline unnecessarily complicated; there is way too much going on at once. I prefer a simple interface. Perhaps, over time, my brain might get used to what I perceive now to be an intrusion, but I find the new layout so distastefully image-centered that I refuse to find out. It’s like watching a commercial of myself. In addition, the idea of delving into the past makes me uncomfortable. Let the past die, I say. There is simply no need to revisit things I said or did last year. Last year was not a good year. Likewise, I’m not interested in what my friends did or said in the past. I’m interested in now.
#2 I don’t want to hear about someone’s illness or death via Facebook
Jeez, I don’t want to find out via Facebook that one of my friends is seriously ill or has died. And I sure as hell don’t want to read the condolences that people will inevitably write on his wall after the fact. I don’t mean to offend people who have done this, or who have taken comfort from doing this, but it’s not for me. I find the whole business bizarre and unsettling. If I died unexpectedly, I would find it ridiculous that people were writing on my Facebook wall. The whole Facebook and death thing is only going to get worse and weirder the more friends I amass.
#3 There is a dearth of insightful interaction on Facebook
As a once avid Facebook user, I tried to foster meaningful discussions about political or interpersonal topics. These discussions were fun at times, like cocktail party chatter is fun, but they rarely gave me any insight into anything. I longed for these people to be in a room with me with hands waving and passions flaring where they could really let loose. But I kept imagining this nebulous periphery of casual acquaintance sitting in silent judgment of our musings and pontifications, and that freaked me out.
I was continually striving to make Facebook deeper than it was, and I think, fundamentally, that was the roadblock I couldn’t circumnavigate. Even though I delighted in crafting clever status updates and witty retorts, these were not deeply satisfying activities. I found myself craving more profound and actual interactions with my friends, ideas, art, and the like.
For example, I recently visited the Art Institute of Chicago, where I had an amazing time staring at its impressive Monet collection. The effort itself brought me a new kind of pleasure, a subtle and penetrating pleasure. I realized that to see the paintings truly, I had to look at them for a long time and from a distance. I stared at them for almost an hour, and in the process, they became alive and magical to me. There is so much to see within one single painting. And I have since realized that the pleasures that Facebook proffers pale in comparison…wait, what?! Facebook pales in comparison to Monet? I know, it may seem like an obvious and trite observation, but it’s the simplest things that we tend to miss in our hurry to update our Facebook statuses. To me, this type of attentive interaction is the essence of yoga. Yoga is the ability to maintain an unbroken and profound union with life, with the universe, and with our deepest selves. Facebook can never give me the type of connection I long for with anyone or anything, let alone my deepest Self.
#4 I have ingested too many meaningless things on Facebook
We are each responsible for what we let through our doors of perception. I no longer want to be careless about the things I allow past that threshold, and there is a glut of useless crap on Facebook. These stupid things get stuck in my brain all the time, and enough is enough. I don’t want to see your Crossfit motivational poster one more time or hear about your kid’s dumb social studies project or read about your crappy lunch. I simply don’t want to let everything in anymore. Even the good stuff on Facebook is not good enough. For instance, I have a friend who regularly posts about Rumi. It’s great. I’d much rather come across her posts than bad photos of someone’s Disney Land vacation or updates about dropped off kids. Nevertheless, even better than reading excerpts from Rumi, is taking my own book of Rumi poems off the shelf and reading one entire poem well. That is the deeper experience, and the one I would like to choose more consistently.
#5 Political action on Facebook is useless
One of the reasons I enjoyed Facebook was the exchange of political articles and ideas. Initially—naively—I thought I could help affect political change via Facebook, but simply clicking and typing is a waste of time unless there is concrete human action behind it such as a phone call, a letter, or a protest attendance. Furthermore, political passions get watered down on Facebook by snarky, cutesy posts. These posts are cute and often funny, but they don’t do anything to foster actual change. There is no shortcut to live political action. None of my posts or well-intentioned political discourses achieved anything significant.
#6 Facebook offers even more distraction for my distraction-prone mind
In this age of distractions, I scarcely need another one. Facebook consistently broke my concentration, and I began to resent it. I realized when it was happening, but I simply did not have the discipline to keep myself off it until my work was done. I found myself unconsciously logging on to Facebook throughout the day. That’s how addiction operates. Somehow you end up with that drink in your hand or the pipe in your mouth.
#7 With Facebook, there is less time to manifest my heart’s sincere desires
There are many things I want to accomplish before I die; some of these I haven’t even discovered yet. And the more time I spend on Facebook, the less time I have to do them. That is a very simple fact. It’s not like these things have to be monumental accomplishments. They could be as simple as writing an essay, taking a class, reading a book, or cooking a dish I’ve always wanted to try. Nothing I do on Facebook could ever be as fulfilling as what I can do in real life.
#8 I don’t need to keep in touch with every person I know via Facebook
If I see someone’s photos or status updates, it makes me think I know what’s going on with that person, and it quells my desire for deeper communication. However, if I have not heard anything from someone I care about in a long time, I might be more prone to write her an email or perhaps even a handwritten letter. Keeping in touch with people should be an organic process and not like amassing matchbooks from restaurants. Some people are meant to be in our lives only for a short time, while others stick around longer. Either way, we’re all going to kick the bucket and lose touch eventually.
#9 Facebook was making my ego bigger
I am not an ego-vilifier. I believe the ego has a value, to a certain degree. It’s an excellent and necessary tool. Nevertheless, I’m striving to see myself as more than my body and my “likes.” The more I stay on Facebook, the more I see myself as only “Sunita Pillay.” I have gotten disturbingly attached to my opinions and photos of myself, but this preoccupation with image is bullshit. I want to work on expanding the radius of my Self—capital ‘S’ intended—beyond my ego.
#10 Mystery is a beautiful thing
Once upon a time I liked to imagine what the people I used to know were currently doing, but Facebook has revealed that mystery to me, and I have to say, my imaginings were in many ways more entertaining. Likewise, I don’t want my life and musings to be a click away anymore. I’d much rather be a wonder away. As in, “I wonder what ever happened to Sunita…”
Source: http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/01/10-reasons-why-i-deleted-my-facebook-account/
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Disinformation and anxiety is widespread online, we should be mindful when using Facebook. Facebook is a good tool to raise awareness in a community. It gather the world and also help people get information easily, especially if you are sharing common interest with certain people or people you admire. Using Facebook to catch up groups that align to you is good. Just like in everything we do, intention plays a key role of our actions, everything will be good if we infuse positive and meaning into it. We can spread information that bring joy, fun energies, intellectual things or creative stuffs, all these are meant to inspire people and our self to make a better world.
Make good use on it, the key is our self, be mindful.
Thank you, Rinpoche, for this valuable teaching. Students of Rinpoche are aware of Rinpoche’s teaching to share love and spread goodness via social media, to be polite and not use vulgar language leave along spreading negativity. As social media occupy much of modern’s people time, as netizen, we must make it a better place by spreading positivity, sharing constructive ideas and instilling good values on social media.
I think we have to accept the fact that social media is part of everyone’s life now whether you like it or not. It is the advancement of technology and something that we can’t stop it from growing. Everything has its good and bad but I think it is how we utilise it. If we use facebook with good motivation, to share info which will help and benefit others then it is a good and powerful tool. Whether it is good or bad is based on our intention and perception. Use it wisely for the benefit of everyone and not for selfish agenda.
Social Media is still a big part of our lives, I would not say we cannot live without it but it is a space that many people choose to interact, to know about others and let others to get to know about us.
I find this post very logical. A lot of the information on it makes sense to me and i can easily relate. Social media is a very different place. There are disadvantages to it and advantages. Regarding facebook, i agree 100% with the points on this post. Especially the last point.
The last point really stood out to me. Now, although not everyone may agree with the last point because they would rather know exactly what others are doing, i personally would like to keep imagining. And to be frank, sometimes i am also not very interested in what some people are doing at times. Sometimes its better to just keep things to yourself and not share it online.
Even though facebook and other social networking sites may have similar problems stated in this post, there are also many benefits. To be honest, i couldn’t imagine my life without social media because i grew up with it and i have been using it my entire life. It is good in a sense you can keep in touch with your loved ones, and share your thoughts and opinions with people. However, some people may use social networking sites for terrible things such as cyberbullying. So basically, social media is a fantastic thing in every way, it just really depends on who is using it which would determine whether it is a good or bad thing.
Facebook is used now primarily to get news feed from Tsem Rinpoche/Kechara.
The rest of friends if necessary, will be added temporarily for chats/to get info/updates/ to spread dharma.
Then thereafter, friends be deleted.
They can always send private messages anytime to communicate should the need arise.
No more adding of friends to get unnecessary time wasting updates or status.
In today’s World of technology and communications, social media is the way forward for everyone. As can be seen, in the social media platform, vis-A-vis, facebook, twitter, and blocking media processes, if properly induced with a viable-monitored internet activity, a high usage will undoubtedly result in higher productivity and benefits. Of course, like everything else, there should be need for disciplined guideline to ensure social media at workplace is regulated without abuses. Many companies use facebook, twitters or youtube sites to engage with their customers and to build their coroperate and employers “brand”. Employees, when used to tweet or communicate about their products or experience, become good brand “ambassadors” for the compay, which will benefit their organisation in the promotion of sales. Like Rinpoche has said, “He has seen legitimate NGOs’ successfully raised funds for their projects, sharing encouraging messages that make a difference in someone else life. Just like in everything we do, moderation and motivation plays a key role in the outcome of our actions.” As such, therefore organisations must welcome modern changes and adopt social media at workplace wholeheartedly in today’s world!
i think it depends on how and for what we use. the motivation really matters here. if we use it honestly and purely to bring some benefits to those who are mindlessly using it, the positive post we post may strike them to realise to use it in the beneficial way. so in the way we may be using it transforming others for betterment.
Thank you rinpoche
As with all other inventions , different people will use it differently , some will benefit some will harm . Overall I still feel it is beneficial as a source of information . Many are spreading their good works through Facebook and has been successful
Some points mentioned are quite valid and I agreed. Sometimes people misused the convenience of technology has brought to us, people just conveniently vent their negativities on their feeds, show off, cyber war, arguments etc and it has become too much. Too unhealthy. Of course, there’s another way to see what social media has brought us, on secular side, some marketers successfully make big money through social media as it’s the easiest and cost effective way to sell their products. There’s good and bad about Facebook and other online platform, it really depends on individuals how you use it. My opinion, I think Facebook is a great invention and it is beneficial on many levels.
As with all forms of communication it really depends on how and what you are using it for. Sure Facebook has drawbacks but it also has it’s advantages.
Some points are valid like those where face to face interaction with a person is better than on Facebook. Also if it has become an addiction, then it will be a waste of time. To me, it is a good tool to get in touch with friends and share information. I will not delete my account but will use it moderately.
It’s all mixed bag just like our lives really! Facebook is helpful in gaining awareness about the world at large and gaining access to information as people put up links that one may not come across or websites that don’t fit in one’s interest range. I personally use it for catching up on news from organisations I am interested in. Major companies to your secondary school friend is on facebook. I get updates from BBC, politicians, Ted talks, radio stations, musicians, charities, NGO’s and I’ve signed a few online petitions too! Instant communication to someone miles away is a bonus. I believe Mark Zuckerberg wants the whole world on facebook! It can be detrimental if the user doesn’t have their principles/ priorities right. In the past i used it to nose around other’s lives and show off my pretty dress lol, but everyone needs to grow up at some point. Yes, it can be boring to just look at your iphone to know about the world rather than being in the world itself but I wouldn’t blame it for all mishaps. It does some good too. It’s subjective of course.