Sunday, July 10, 2011

Anxiety of knowing too much

Two days ago I enden my Facebook account. Yes, I know. How could I? Every self-respecting person should be there, share their joys and sorrows an take part of those of their extended group of friends. Right?
No. I object! I couldn't stand it. It became too much, I had to get out before I knew it had overtaken me. So I did.

What a relief! I no longer need to feel I have to like my friends' status updates. I no longer need to know, what half of the people I know had for breakfast, what their kids said last night, how much they wait for their vacations to begin, how amazing their weekend was. I was taken down by information overload. I had encountered the anxiety of knowing too much.

And what about the couple, who live their life via their mobile phones, instead of spending that time together, focusing on the moments they could share instead of sharing space with each other, but their minds with people online? When has it gone too far? Is it when they notice that they really don't need the person next to them anymore, the affirmation of their spouse, because they get more clicks liking their updates from people they went to school with 30 years ago, from the guy who is working at the gym they go to, from their co-worker's sister that they met once, a few years ago.

For me, watching people spending their time, living their life online instead of sharing it with their families, friends, became too much. I could no longer take it. They check in to their accounts and out of their lives. And that is how we are supposed to communicate! That is supposed to improve our social life!

I object. I declare this house a Facebook-free zone, where everybody entering has to check in to life and check out from craving affirmation from people they hardly know.