Giving Up Facebook.

I am and have always been a social media fiend. And while I didn't get around to making a Facebook profile until 2009, I'd been on almost every other platform, online and plugged in 24/7. I had fallen into the trap of believing that the amount of friends I had and my overall online popularity was a sign of social success. Even when my usage of the site changed and I began focusing on promoting my modeling and art projects instead of my personal life, I was still tied to quanity over quality. Eventually, most of my interactions with people on Facebook became nothing more than a 'like', a three word comment, or a message here and there. I'd spend time watching the eruption of a heated argument between people I may or may not have known, and sometimes I'd get involved in it. I'd spend hours after hours grooming my profile to be perfect and impressive, and I'd spend just as much time stalking people that were no longer part of my life. Soon, it all started to seem like the place where I didn't really want to be. 

I'd always been incredibly impressed by people who just didn't have or never used their Facebook accounts, especially when they were attractive, confident women with acute social skills. To me, they were a phenomenon, the type of person I could never wrap my head around. How could they not care about the approval from their online peers? How could they not feel irrelevant and isolated without the constant posts from people all over the country? How did they do it?! 

I decided to make a pro/con list dedicated to how I felt about Facebook in general, and then how I felt about getting rid of Facebook entirely. After a great deal of thought and a little bit of research, I decided that it might be time to give Facebook a break. I temporarily shut everything down this morning, and I've yet to  explode, lose any of my friendships or any vital information from people I care about. Already I feel more at ease, and my head has been a little more quiet than it normally is. I feel good about my decision, and about setting aside the silly idea that Facebook (and the way that I present myself on Facebook) is what defines who I am to others. 

I hope that if you ever come to a point where any social medium is becoming toxic, unhealthy, or meaningless to you, that you are able to walk away from it with ease. I promise that even just taking a break is worth it. 

The Blog Phenomenon.

Image Source

I first started blogging in 2003 through a site called LiveJournal, where I held several accounts there that I updated regularly. All of them were wildly personal, usually private to friends only, and were true to the journal format. I kept my account current until a few years ago, when I started putting more of my daily events and thoughts onto Facebook posts instead. It was there that I merged my professional life with my personal, and started writing entries for the public view instead of catering to close friends with my more intimate thoughts or moments.

Since then, I have tried to keep my public posts as positive and cutely personal as possible, staying away from aggressive venting or aggressive language whenever possible. Sometimes I would slip up and Facebook would see a glimpse of my more immature moments, but eventually, those became more and more rare. Since my modeling, styling, and performer personality were what got me jobs, I stuck with putting on the most professional face I could manage, and gave people just enough personal information to feel like they knew me. Even with this mentality, Facebook was still a negative environment at times, as everything was subject to another body of people with argumentative or judgemental demeanor's with a whole lot to say. Facebook had quickly become more of a soapbox and less of a way to keep people connected to each other, or to express positive ideas.

Enter other social media outlets. After a little research (and okay, a few failed attempts at Blogspot), I decided to start a new blog dedicated to positive things. I noticed that the entire blog community was this wonderful group of (seemingly) happy individuals who acted like personal cheerleaders to one another. Friendships formed between writer and reader, between writers themselves, and between real life friends who are also bloggers. Within just a few weeks I had started my own connections with various other bloggers, who are also wildly positive and cheerful, and had nothing but nice things to say in response to posts. It was simply amazing.

Personally, I think that this is why so many people start and write a blog. There's nothing else like it, no other place where you are universally supported and cheered on, regardless of if it's over a paint project, a book review, or over photos of a pet. It's a great example of getting back what you put in, as every sweet comment gets a sweet comment back, and anything negative gets removed or ignored. And for the most part, we all make it a point to be as nice as possible to one another, something that is sorely lacking in any really other online forum.

So, if you've been thinking about starting some sort of online journal, be it a blog, or a vlog, or a LJ, I encourage you to do it! Take that plunge! If you're looking for inspiration, or an idea for a blog, I've listed a few here that I love and read every single day. I hope that checking them out sparks some sort of idea for you, or that at the very least, you find a new voice online that you can connect with.

Now, without further adieu, I introduce to you....

Shout-out Friday!

-Love Taza: Naomi (Taza) is the sole reason I started blogging. I seriously love every bit of her life.

-Oh Joy!: The writer of my favorite blog book, and a great blogger all around.

-A Beautiful Mess: An all-time favorite of mine.

-Ending Up Here: My new enigmatic BlogSister, who inspires me regularly to be as happy as possible.

-Charlie Cecile: A great new blogger, Charlie has a fantastic eye for images.

-Jessi!: My lovely friend (and book fiend), Jessi, just started her blog yesterday. I'm very proud and excited for her!

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Ps- If you're starting up a new blog, or are relatively new to the community, I want to hear from you! Comment with a link back to your site and I'll be sure to check it out!