Facebook Rots Your Brain

Facebook is the new garbage television.

I suppose I should embrace this brave new world we live in. But I don't think anyone cares about what I'm doing every minute of the day. This is my justification for not constantly populating the social network stratosphere with my inane ramblings. Or perhaps I'm just too lazy to update my status every hour.

I'll troll Facebook—most often in sheer incredulity at the amount of petrified horse-manure that's shoveled onto it.

When Facebook was first a part of my life in 2007, everything seemed new—I was reconnecting with people that I never thought I'd hear from again—it was all very romantic and pleasant. Now it's just rigid boredom.

Making matters worse, I have several accounts—one for work, one for the magazine I edit, one for my band, one for myself as a solo musician... and I have let each one of them slide off into near obscurity.

I'm no luddite. I still think social networks have an important place in today's world. But I can't bring myself to populate my status feed with all the piddling minutiae that make up my daily existence.

I'm the type of user the Facebook is wary of—I used it to reconnect with some old friends, posted a few choice moments, and have now moved into a floating state of social retirement.

I can't help thinking that there's a good reason why certain people drift apart, evidenced clearly by some of the people I have since indignantly "de-friended" through my abhorrence at their banality. According to Facebook, I have over a hundred friends. In reality, I have very few. I have even fewer close friends.

So what does it all mean? Why do I feel obligated to explain myself on a public forum as to my frequent absence from this multitudinous ether? Perhaps validation.

Reality: I don't care about your weekend, the weather, what you just ate... if you are thinking of posting something that you yourself would not be interested in reading, don't share it. Sifting through Facebook's news feed these days is worse than watching television; I feel stupider for it. I just recently got rid of cable because I never watched it.

So why am I holding on to my Facebook profiles?

I think deep down, my acknowledgement of the importance of the medium still keeps me engaged. I still use Facebook as a means to stay up on what my family is doing. Not having cable, it's also a method to keep up with what is happening in the world. Facebook reports news far earlier than television does. It also provides different angles on breaking stories, based on what your network decides to repost. For these reasons, I will not delete my account.

But I will not pretend to be enthralled by the countless users who post ridiculous platitudes every few minutes. Nor will I hide my distain at those "friends" who insist on posting cryptic obscurities like "One more time, and that's it", or "This happens now?! Really?!" in an attempt to rouse response.

People do not care. Yes, I'm speaking for you. If you feel the urge to post something, try to make it evocative, thought-provoking... at least try to be interesting. I'm embarrassed that I have so many dull acquaintances.

Some of the greatest periods in human history (upheavals in political, musical, poetic or scientific progress) were brought about by catalysts to progressive thought. Great minds feeding other great minds.

Scanning Facebook feeds is the exact opposite. We've become mezmerized by sifting through one another's laundry hampers as opposed to concentrating on the progression of our species. We've stopped putting energy into what makes us "special". The ability to think, emote, create, inspire... where are all of these forces?

My plea to you, my Facebook friends, is to think of at least a post a day that doesn't have anything to do with nothing. Repost a positive news story, share an epiphany (an interesting one), craft an encouraging sentiment. Do anything but post drivel. You know the difference.

Some of you may take offense to this, and lash out with the anticipated defense—or call me the pot, what have you. But at the very least, I hope it will encourage some spirited response from an otherwise dull-eyed gallery of luke-warm souls. Don't worry, I count myself in this mix—for having fallen victim to the same lulling trap over the years. But I want to turn the tide.

And for those who accurately critique my rant and tell me to get off my ass and "show, don't tell", may this blog post serve as my defense.

Happy Networking!


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Update on 52 Song Project

I feel obligated to tell the world (or at least my Facebook friends) that I have taken a hiatus from the 52 song project for the time being.

I have still been working on riffs and songs, but recently have been getting back together with the band (Shoe) and we've been generating new material for another studio project. Some of the songs I wrote earlier in the year will be touched up and brought out in a heavier form with the full band.

This process has been exceptionally cathartic, and challenging. The one song a week thing was perhaps too ambitious a goal to set out to accomplish the same year Laurie and I had our first child. There are also extenuating circumstances at work, and other writing related projects that I have taken on to further my career (day job)—so time is scarce.

Part of the reason I wanted to do this was to create an environment where our daughter Lennon could be surrounded with live, original music while she was growing up. That is still happening, and I can't tell you how much it makes my heart jump out of my chest when she gives me a huge beaming smile every time I bring out the guitar.

Another was to give myself a creative distraction while concentrating on my goal to not drink for a year, which has been going well, although that in itself is also challenging. More like... debilitating. Or the definition of pure insanity. Anyway, I've gotten to a point where I am at least bearing the transition. Through gritted teeth.

Because I am creating new material with the band, as well as re-learning older material we wrote years ago (we have a catalogue of over 50 original songs that have not yet seen the light of day) it is taking up a lot of the time I had assigned to the 52 song project. That's no excuse, it's just the truth. Plus, I am in the process of transcribing the chords and music for the songs, which is a large undertaking.

The long and the short of it: I am still writing lots of original songs this year. I may not get to 52, nor will I be releasing one a week, but so far I have written 20 songs for the project (I have posted 15 of them), and so far I have written two new songs with Shoe.

It has been a great year for creativity and musical growth, and it will continue to be so. In the end, that is the whole point. The minute it starts getting stressful, it's time to look at it in a different light, and that's what I'm doing. It's no longer a psychological backlog of songs I haven't written week to week, instead I see it as 20 new original songs to work with; 20 more than I would have had if I had not set out to do this. In other words, I am sending this as a message of encouragement, not defeat.

Thanks for listening and I will keep you posted on the new Shoe material!

All the best,


KRC


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