Are you tired of Facebook? Has it become a huge waste of time? Have you become anti-social because of it? We spend so much time with our noses in our phones these days. What if you just say goodbye to it? Sometimes, the things we think are healthy and fun, we eventually discover are not. This is why I have gotten rid of all my social media.
So I before making this big decision, I was sitting around, thinking about internet security and how much time I was spending on social media. It was like a drug. Just as addicting as cocaine. I was on my phone countless times in the day, checking and rechecking friends’ pages as if they were specifically sending me messages. I was thinking, “Wow this can be a problem.”
Yes! Social media companies make it very addictive! They depend on this. They need you to be sucked in, so you keep coming back for more and more. They don’t make money if you do not use their platform. They have to pay their employees to keep their site up. They want to make money, lots of money.
Anything can be addictive. Sex. Sex can be the most addicting thing. It feels good. You get a rush of happiness and, let’s be honest, you feel on top of the world when that person chooses you to do the bedroom boogie with them. It’s true!
So, I finally thought, “What is this worth to me?” Then, I deleted my Facebook and other social media. To be honest, I did not need much of an adjustment period. It was like giving a sin to God. At first, I felt like, “Hey I need this.” “What am I doing??” But I heard God say, “You’re better off without this.” That’s all it took.
It has been a couple weeks now, and I really don’t have any desire to go back. Whatever brain programing they use to make it so fun is gone. And then, there’s the sitting around thinking, “What else can I do with my time?” It’s very freeing. But, it takes getting to the point of being sick of it and wanting to get off the Merry-Go-Round. Social media is not evil in and of itself, but wasting your time is.
Ok. Let’s get into the dirty truth of the security on the web. Yes, your social media can be hacked. The scary part is that someone can take control of your page and do God knows what!! They can put something unsavory on your feed. They can make you talk to people you would never in a million years talk to. Scary? Yes, a hacker can frame you. Hackers can use your account or clone your account. They can lock you out of your account, for ransom, or just to be A-holes.
A couple of friends and one of my cousins had the right idea years ago when they got rid of social media. It is just becoming a swamp. Not to mention the many scams! Actress Emma Watson (Hermione Granger, Harry Potter) has become the most impersonated individual on Facebook. You think you are talking to her? You are not!! When celebrities ask you to send them anything, something doesn’t smell right.
Phishing is a huge problem as well. If people you meet online start asking personal questions, run! They can get information about you and learn about the identity of your family members with just a bit of simple info. And then more scams unfold.
As you can tell, I am a big fan of disconnecting social media. When you aren’t living online, you connect more with your family and real friends. You have more time to pursue hobbies. You might even decide to start a business. That can be fun. And social media can also seem fun until someone hacks your page and puts a monitoring software on it to spy on everything you do.
Are you addicted? Are you wasting your life on social media? Of course, the choice to go or stay is yours. Do what you want. My solution is to stay off!
