Facebook Backlash!
Ok, since pulling the plug on Facebook two and a half weeks ago, I get a call, email, or text almost everyday from someone new. They all want to know why they can’t find me on Facebook. Here are some of the actual responses I have received. WARNING: This might seem a little bitter, hopefully no one gets offended. I’m still in the healing process…
- “Where are you?” – It’s as if I have disappeared from the world. I guess I have. I have disappeared from the center of the social world. Facebook has become the beginning and end of connecting to others. The answer is: I have not gone anywhere. “I” am not a social network profile. I am a person. Living and breathing and exist separate from my social networking avatar. Though it might disappear, I am here.
- “Why aren’t you my friend anymore? What did I do wrong?” This one amazes me. They say this because I don’t show up as their friend anymore and assume that means I removed them. The truth is I removed myself. I am still your friend. You didn’t do anything wrong. The answer to these questions is… everything is not about you. This is the reason I got off Facebook (for a while). I was beginning to believe everything on Facebook was about me, too. Everything is not about you. It is about everyone else. They think everything is about them. This is where it gets real confusing.
- “How can I keep up with you?” Read my blog, follow me on Twitter, invite me to lunch, come over to my house, come to my church, invite me to your church, call me, email me… there are a lot of old fashion, very effective ways. Don’t be lazy. Invest in me and I will invest in you.
Yes, I will return to Facebook someday. There is a responsible way to connect, just like there is a healthy way to watch TV or surf the net. However, I am not ready to return.
I wonder how many folks do not read my blog and not know the reason for my decision. The ones that have contacted me represent a larger group that haven’t taken the time to contact me. The ones that contact me interestingly don’t respond after I tell them I have left Facebook*. They simply leave it at that. And, I guess I will too.
+ Robin
*except: Scott Carley and I talked about having lunch. Thanks, Scott! Love you, man!
Haven’t seen my original post on why I left? Check it out!
Here is a great article on how to control your Facebook time: Facebook
Posted on July 14, 2010, in Daily Word and tagged facebook backlash, facebook is evil, quit facebook, why quit facebook. Bookmark the permalink. 9 Comments.
Robin Steele 
Haha…This is hilarious! Okay cousin let’s do dinner. When are ya’ll available? By the way I am enjoying your blogs more then your post.
Desiree, we would love it! We better wait a few days because right now we have 5 foster kids and it is a zoo. They will be with us until next Friday. So, lets try after that.
You, me, Taco Bueno.
Love your blogs brotha!
dude, lets GO! love me some TACO BUENO
This is hilarious! To think that you can not be friends UNLESS you have a FB account is comical! After reading your blog about FB, I asked myself, “Do I spend too much time on FB?” Then last week, I was watching a webcast from a church back home. The Evangelist said, “You need to stop spending so much time on FB and get your FACE in the BOOK!” How true?! By no means do I feel that having a FB account is wrong. When it consumes you and takes precedence over you, then it’s wrong. Sometimes we seem to think that pastors has some kind of super hero logo on his chest. It”s almost as if people feel that pastors don’t have feelings. However, they are simply human. I applaud what you have done. I just hope we can be still be friends eventhough you don’t have a FB account! J/K! LOL!
Hey I read your post about taking a break from Facebook. I commend any exercise that would decrease idolatry—and Facebook certainly doesn’t *prevent* that potential. It’s kind of like money and power and fame: they’re not in and of themselves evil, but that are *known* to be catalysts to idolatry.
With your new responsibility for 53 foster kids, I would imagine having any time for *anything* that isn’t directly beneficial in this season would be hard to come by.
I wish you much success in all of the aspects of this part of your adventure: the kids, the blogging, the removal from Facebook, and the continued Senior Pastoring! 🙂
not quite 53, Frank, but close!!
love it!!! btw, you left out the comments from other ministers/pastors, for example: “you have to use Facebook to be relevant to this generation.” or, “think of all the people you’re not reaching by not using social media.”
I can think of one guy in particular whom I think honestly values social media more than scripture… 🙂 seriously though, as a minister, if you tweet/post more about the value of social media than you do about Christ Himself, you may have things out of balance…
recently read a post by one of my favorite writers [Jon Acuff], dealing with this very issue…here’s my favorite portion of his article:
“Right now, we have thousands of friends who know the Facebook version of us.
Right now, we can distract you from what we want to hide with mountains of tweets and status updates and rivers of words.
Right now we have more tools than ever before to be someone we’re really not.
Right now, we are connected to more people and known by less.”
thanks for being authentic/true to yourself on this Pastor Robin!!! we could use more of that, both on Facebook and off… appreciate you leading the way & setting an example for us.
PS – love the new look on the blog!
Thanks, Jereme. That quote is amazing. I am going to have to check him out.