A Quiet Exit Strategy

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According to the research published in the June 2014 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, it turns out that the emotions expressed by friends on Facebook are contagious. Yes, our moods are affected by our online social media interactions.

I've noticed it; have you?
I am kind of massively empathic, though. I am ridiculously in-tuned to vibes and non-verbals and such and I have found myself having to simply turn off the PC and get away from the negativity on social media; it's like a virus. It's contagious. 

Although so many people that I care about are online friends, I'm going to start changing my Facebook and social media behavior. I admit that it is already a problem of being a time suck, of wasting my precious time, but I'm wondering how a change in my social media use will impact my mood. I'm hoping it will be a good thing. But how does one close the door on social media without also closing the window on one's friends?

My prediction is that my friends of proximity and convenience (about 339 of them) will disappear while my few true friendships (about five of them) will stay the same. Three cheers for purposeful and positive interactions with human beings. I have to own that friendships are super easy on Facebook. Check in, scroll, like a few posts, and you've done your job for the day. Facebook really fits my inner lazy person...maybe even my inner introvert.

To make matters more complicated, in my dealings with my show on SecularTv on Youtube I use many aspects of social media for research and for marketing. So...hmmmm.

My plan is to use FB only for instant messaging (as I use that daily for contact with my family and friends and for work) and for work- or show-related postings. I will keep blogging but I won't be on Pinterest or posting blog posts anywhere. Also, one caveat, I plan on continuing my gratitude project on Facebook for the month of November since I'm committed to that this year. Come December though...!

What will change for me?
How will this experiment affect my children? How will my life change? Will many people on Facebook even notice? I doubt it, I'm sure I only notice a handful of people who wisely decide to opt out of social media.

Here goes.

It'll be a quiet change for the month of November and an even quieter exit in December. How will I survive without knowing what cause is IN or OUT today?


Addendum:
I read this just today, Nov 3, 2015.

Once upon a time I thought that in an open forum of ideas, 

people would genuinely care about discussing ideas to further their own understanding. 

Yet what I see repeatedly on Facebook is that when a person encounters a differing opinion,

 it is met with scorn and derision regardless of how respectfully it may be presented.

Now I am forced to wonder if people ever had proper discourse. 

It is making me rethink the Parthenon.

'Given the geometry of the earths shadow on the moon,

 I theorize that the earth must be round.'

'You're so stupid we should sterilize you to keep it from spreading.'

Stay classy, humans."

LOVE it!

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