Lindsey Turrentine wrote an interesting article on CNet about the social pitfalls to avoid by those of you that want to give up Facebook or other social networking addictions for Lent.
Lindsey writes: “I’m not Catholic, but every year when friends and family give up wine, cheese, or bad TV shows for the 40 days of Lent, I get into an ascetic spirit.”
“I think maybe I do need a break from Facebook. Checking Facebook first thing in the morning, all day long, and just one more time after I brush my teeth is probably not the best use of my time. My children, my marriage, and my houseplants need me more than that guy I met one summer in art school.”
Lindsey signals a trend this year of Catholics and other Christians pledging to give up Facebook, Twitter or the Internet all together to free up time for more spiritual activities.
However, says Lindsey, “a sudden break from your social network – virtual or otherwise – creates a social minefield for anyone concerned with online manners. With more than 175 million active users on Facebook, at least one or two will want to “friend” you in the next 40 days. What to do?
Read Lindsey’s five tips for anyone wanting to go “Facebook cold turkey”: article
What do you think of this new trend? Post your comments below!
BTW: I’m not giving up Facebook for Lent, it’s an important tool to communicate with my audience. I’m not giving up talking, preaching or podcasting either 
Thanks to Steve Marquez for the link to the article on CNet!
I’d give up *any* addiction for Lent, FB or otherwise.
I don’t do a ton with FB, so I’m not giving it up…what would be the point?
Maybe I’ll cut down on social networking, but that also has more to do with my grad school studies!
But blogging…that will continue. It’s an outlet for me, and I think it’s important for Catholics to continue to have a voice, ESPECIALLY during Lent. I benefit greatly by reading the blogs of others (ie Catholic blogs on spirituality, holiness, information, etc.), and it seems some benefit from mine, as well. It’s important to maintain that.
I’m giving up other things, though, have no fear!
I’m not giving up Facebook either. I agree, it is an important part of our ministry as priests and podcasters. Better to give up sin!
I do give up internet access 24/7 for Lent. Having only a small window of time on Sundays to be online helps to prioritize what you do on the internet. I do podcast and my daily Liturgy of the Hours will be posted automatically twice a week.
I hope it will show me how much of my time I waste online and help me to use the internet more effectively, freeing up time to devote in prayer and service in the Lord’s vineyard.
Just my €0.02
I’m giving up social networking. I do not have ministry or any helping of others via that medium. For me, it’s a distraction against things I _really_ want to due, things that help me mentally and spiritually. Without those distractions, I can focus more on tasks that are good for me.
It is calculated for me, and not some bandwagon. I know myself well enough to know that I get distracted easily from social networking. Sure, self discipline would help more than anything, yet baby steps I’m still making and Lent is kind of a speed boost!
BTW, I will NOT be giving up podcasting, especially SQPN podcasts!
This is not a bad idea, but I’ll stick to giving up my beloved coffee. :O
I am more than likely giving up social networking as well. It is either that or LOST ; )
I was taught that it was important to give up something good for Lent, not just bad habits and sins. Otherwise, Easter would turn into a frenzy of bad behavior, no?
Facebook is one of those good things… good but distracting. One of many in my life. Turning it off for forty days will give me a more structured day, more time for prayer, and more time for writing. I’ll log in on Sundays, just to respond to requests or messages that have accumulated during the week.
I’ll still be blogging, but that becomes more focused during Lent. I usually choose a spiritual writer, and post something each day from that writer. One year I gave a “virtual retreat” on the Dark Night by St. John of the Cross — mostly because I wanted to spend more time reading and meditating on his work, but it remains the most popular thing I’ve blogged on over the past six years.
http://www.doxaweb.com/blog/labels/John%20of%20the%20Cross.htm
So I’m looking forward to Lent, and to seeing, at Eastertime, if I have a better perspective on the use of Facebook.
I won’t be giving up Facebook for Lent either – it’s become an important tool in my ministry to the college students, as well as with my work with the fine arts community. There are other things to give up, and to reflect on.
My sister-in-law is planning to give up Facebook for Lent, however, so I will be sure to pass this along to her. Thanks for writing this, and for including the link, Fr Roderick!
A few days ago I received a Facebook message urging me to give up Facebook for Lent. How ironic is that? My first thought was, “Nice try. I’m still going to write ‘Highlight of My Day’ every day.”
Now, really, I’m all for self-denial. Especially during Lent. But as a housebound individual who only gets out once a week to go to Mass (weather permitting), cutting myself off from my social networks would be the equivalent of locking myself in a cell. Not to mention that most of my online friends are practicing Catholics. I’d be losing more than idle chatter. I’d be shutting myself off from daily reminders of what it means to live one’s faith.
Finally, at the risk of stating the obvious. Lent is about more than giving things up. As Catholics we’re encouraged to also do good works and pray more during this time. If some of us need to spend less time at the computer to do these things, fine. But no one should give things up to just give things up.
Not even “Highlight of My Day.”
I can tell you from having recently done it, when you drop offline for a while for whatever reason, it can take you a while to get back up to speed. For reasons that don’t matter to this observation, I pulled away from the inter-active elements for about three months, and I feel like the community has moved on without me. That’s not a complaint – just something to keep in mind when contemplating pulling down the online window blinds for Lent.
The comments already made are excellent. I would add that in some schools of thought, the 40 days of lent do not include Sundays. Many people make the determination ahead of time that Sundays are “days off” their personal lenten sacrifice. This would be a good comprimise for those who want the time given to SN, to be devoted to more worthy actifvities, but don’t want to go “cold turkey.’
Just a note to say that you all are stuck with me on Facebook during Lent – It has become an active component of my spiritual support network. Also, Terry – the community did not move on without you. Your absence was noted, my friend, and you were prayed for by those of us who missed you.
This week, I’ve been speaking to my teenagers about selecting Lenten devotions that will ultimately lead them closer to the Lord. Facebook, believe it or not, does this for me in my life as it draws me closer to the Body of Christ present online. I learn so much every day from my Facebook friends and am constantly inspired by them as well. I agree that if it has become an idol or a spiritual distraction it is a good thing to take a break during Lent.
Thanks for raising an important topic!
There’s certainly a good argument for my giving up the social networking tools where I tend to spend more time than the value they offer. Anything that helps numb me slows the contrition/repentance cycle, and that’s never a good thing.
However, I think I’ll find some other things to sacrifice that are just pleasurable ways to pass time but don’t have a relationship benefit. Anything that provides opportunities for the exchange of good will, encouragement, etc. in these anomie-heavy times probably is a service even if it’s not explicitly a “ministry”, and I’m reluctant to, in a way, give up my people for Lent.
I suspect that my emotional dependency on online solitaire games would be a good candidate to leave in the dustbin. Sigh. I really don’t want to do that. The flesh is going to take some serious subduing.
i too won’t be giving up FB or Twitter. They are too valuable for ministry and building community for me. I do want to focus on how I use them during Lent. When I use them I want to focus on the person at the other end, and not stop my attention at their monitor. I want to make sure I’m building community, and not brand. Drives me crazy when people only ever post and run, if they want to give up FB/Twitter for Lent, I’ll support them.
That’s the cool part about the whole SQPN community. They like to virtually “hang out”. I’m swamped at work, but I like having twitter running in a sidebar in FireFox, so I can take a minute or two during the day to chat with someone.
Keep rockin’ for Christ.
-G
When we fast foodwise, we are not giving up on food, are we?
Lindsey’s problem seems to be that of addiction and not the use of FB per se. So, maybe a better idea would be to refrain (fast) and not give up altogether? She could fast from FB on certain days or times.
I like the idea of giving up some of my internet time for something else, anything else, even for watching TV, since that is more relaxing than doing your Tweets, Facebook stuff, blog discussions and the like. I just think I can’t. Can’t even ‘Fast’ Social Media. The succes of people in the 21st century will depend more heavily on the use of social media. Being informed 24/7 in the information society will be one of the key success factors in business life. Yes we will get more detached from nature, we’ll be in a state of “continuous partial attention” and will have more “continuous partial friends” (see http://www.lindastone.net/)
Maybe that will be the burden we have to take from going from the old capitalistic society, to a new one, the society that exists after the transformational crisis we are in today is over.
I believe it’s a wonderful idea and practice to give up MySpace and Facebook for the Lentern season.