1. The Sandy Hook Elementary Shooting
- It was an absolute tragedy, before you read any of my words further know that I think it was a hurtful, devastating, unjust tragedy that occurred at Sandy Hook. However, the amount of my Facebook friends who had status' and comments and opinions on violence and gun control was frustrating. I am not interested in the heated debates on gun control and whose fault this was. My Facebook feed was overwhelmed with views and opinions on the shooting - and Stuart has always said I root for the underdog, I cry for the underdog and hurt for the underdog. So when everyone's status was about how awful and sick the young man who took a gun into an elementary school was; all I could think was how sad it was, that he felt so sad and angry at the world that those thoughts would even cross his mind. I wanted to pray for the families that lost their children, but I also wanted to pray for the shooter; and for his family - who will never forget this day for the rest of their lives either.
- I also tend to get frustrated at North America's lack of worldly awareness, and without upsetting anyone, or making anyone think that I do not believe Sandy Hook was an unbearable tragedy (see first sentence) - I will simply make the point that the same week of the Sandy Hook shooting over 300 women and children were killed waiting in line for bread in Syria; yet I saw no Facebook status' about that.
- Perhaps this is new, perhaps it had been there all along and I just never noticed it. But I noticed it now, and how it logged each photo I ever "liked", each status I ever commented on, each person I ever "searched" for - and all of a sudden I felt very monitored. It is not like I don't know that everything I put on the Internet is there for good - I have actually spoken to my youth about how permanent those photos and status' can be; but for some reason this time it bothered me more, and made me feel more violated - I guess I felt no one but me needs to know when I am searching for that old friend from my past - but I suppose that just goes to show I shouldn't be searching anyway........
- So in November 2012 I decided I would temporarily deactivate my Facebook - to spend the holiday season in REAL contact with friends and family. Hearing their voices, seeing their faces and spending quality time with those I love. So I went to my account settings and selected to "Deactivate" my account - that is when Facebook told me in bold print across my screen: "Your 365 friends will miss you" - which led me to question what I consider a real "friend" to be - is it someone I worked with in highschool? Is it that old neighbour who "likes" my photos? Or that friend of a friend of a friend I met once at a party? I do not have 365 friends - I simply KNOW 365 people. And I am sure of this because I do not use Facebook to communicate with my "real" friends at all - I text them, I call them, I email them and I visit them. Now some of those 365 people are ones I would consider friends even if I do not see them or speak with them often. They are friends mainly from college that live all over North America and the world, where Facebook really is the only way I am able to see their lives and their families now. But the larger majority of those 365 "friends" are really just people I know, that I met at some point over the last 7 years and most likely have not even noticed that I am now deactivated. So Facebook's last attempt to get me to stay is what cemented my decision to leave. I will most likely be back, and at first I missed it desperately - but now it is just something that isnt a part of my life and I can honestly say is not missed at all.
:)
