Written By: Fiona Stockard
In the HBO hit series two new roommates have this interaction:
Shoshanna: Your not serious that’s like not being on Facebook
Jessa: I am not on face book.
Shoshanna: Your so f-ing classy.
Since face book started in 2004 it has become a major part of our society in every way shape and form. The Facebook lingo has infiltrated our language with “likes,” “Add me” a major motion picture the list goes on. Not to mention when the company went public in 2012 with a market value of over $104 billion, media called it a cultural touchstone. Many people believe Facebook has ruined our culture and society. That we are so obsessed with capturing and posting our actives and events, taking pictures and checking in that we are missing the present moment because we are so obsessed with recording it. I went to a concert recently and a young kid was in front of my recording the whole concert, watching it through his phone. Looking around the whole crown there probably wasn’t a moment the crown didn’t have a phone out of a minute. American smart phone users check their phones every minute and would go into a panic mode if they lost their phones.
How can Facebook be detrimental to women struggling with body image issues and women in early recovery?
I think it’s obvious that Facebook is a dangerous place for women who tend to compare themselves. And who doesn’t have the tendency to do that once and awhile? Another humorous scene in the HBO series GIRLS is when the character Marni sees her recent ex boyfriend on a vacation with his new girlfriend who thinks most 20 something’s can relate to stalking their ex’s new significant other.
But for women in recovery social media websites can be a perilous place. For people trying to live by spiritual principles looking at Facebook and judging, becoming jealous and just getting in a place far away from a God centered life it can sometimes be best to delete your account for awhile.
In early recovery seeing others having what one might think as “a better time” drinking can be difficult. Glorifying the party life style when just getting sober can be a challenge. Or seeing friends from high school or college continuing on to finish their degrees or seek out higher levels of education, having successful careers, getting married and children Facebook can be a dangerous place for women in early recovery.
For women who suffer who body dismorphia and eating disorders Facebook can also be a difficult place comparing their bodies with other women’s and comparing their own pictures against a thinner time in their life.
Overall it might be a good time to either delete your Facebook account or limit your time on social media only to use it to check in with family, if that is healthy thing. Free time may be better used reading 12-step literature and making “real friends” not “Facebook friends” and finding out what you really “like” not just “Facebook like.”