To facebook or not to facebook... that is the question

I have a confession to make... I'm hoping my friends who read this won't hate me for it... but I've been fantasising about something recently. Its my guilty pleasure you see. I don't know how to stop. The thoughts consume me day and night, preventing me from living my day to day life, taking up large sections of my brain which would normally be reserved for important things like chocolate, boys and the chicken dance. I tell you am going slowly and surely insane just trying to appear normal to the everyday observer... so I'm just going to put it all out there and you can judge me if you want but it is what it is and I am tired of living a lie...

I have been dreaming about -deep breath, just spit it out -......... deleting my facebook page - there, oh wow what a weight that just vanished off my shoulders... ahh *dreamy smile*

Now before you go straight down to my comments section and start flaming me, please just listen/read and let me try to explain the thought processes behind my... abnormality.

Okay now think about it, Drew Barrymore's (spelling?) character in "He's just not that into you" was right, and it applies to all communications these days, there are just so many things you have to check - I send people a text and then I have to check my mobile, my phone, my facebook page, my e-mail, and a whole host of other networking sites, just to see if they have replied... to delete my facebook page would just mean that I have one less place to check.

I've been thinking about this a lot you see, over the past few months, it is an issue that has been really irking me. Everywhere I feel I am being told that communicating and keeping in touch with friends enemies and your bf's brother in-laws step-mum has never been easier, and while this is true I'm not altogether sure its a good thing. We have 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week and 52 weeks in a year (give or take), and in that time we have to sleep for 8 hours/day go to work/school/uni (anywhere between 6-9 hours) cook, eat, wash, exercise, and... check my 3 e-mail accounts, make sure no one has posted and bad photo's/ new events/ funny comments/ status updates/ changes of details etc on facebook and all of that doesn't even start to include actual person to person communication or chill-out, space-out, recharge, turn-off and ignore the world time (of which I need at least one hour a day just too keep me sane).

In my personal experience I feel like I spend so much of my life trying to keep up to date with the what everyone is doing and when and how they are feeling about it (courtesy of facebook's new layout and sites like twitter) that I have no time left to talk to the people I am living in the same house with let alone anyone else. I am now in touch with more friends, family and extended family on a regular basis than I have ever been in my relatively short life, but, by keeping in touch with all of these people far and wide I feel that there is no longer any time for those close to me... is that supposed to be an even trade?

I get:
- those I share an interest with but have never met and who live half way around the world or
- those I was once best friends with back in Kindy '96 or
- my second cousin three times removed

in exchanged for my
- mum
- dad and
- sister and
- other friends who I have the chance to meet wit on a regular basis?

Is all of this social networking and technology really building stronger relationships? Am I any happier now than I was 3 or so years ago before I joined this whole circus? (Oh any yes, don't worry, I am quite aware of the irony involved here as I write on my blog about the time I am loosing with those closest to me whilst trying to keep in touch with everyone else, but I'm not ready to give this up yet, Its way more fun :-D)

But in all honesty... what would really happen if I just logged off for good? Would people still try to keep in contact with me? or would I be left out in the dark with nothing to guide me home? From what I've seen of others who don't keep up to date with the latest social networking sites... well everyone just kinda forgets about them and they no longer get invites to social events - the organisers rely on said persons friends to invite them making no contact themselves, and if said person just falls off the face of the planet... well if a tree in the forest falls down and no one is there to witness it, did it really fall at all?

So I have a choice; I can continue as I am, or I can make my fantasy a reality and delete my facebook in the process risking isolating myself from my friends and peers. For now I have chosen to leave it the way it is... but I can always dream.

P.S. Does anyone feel like commenting??? I'm not a comment whore, really I'm not... well maybe just a little (read a lot) *You will comment*- See I'm using the Force on you, thats right THE Force (capital F and all) - even if its just to tell me how silly it is that I'm using Star Wars references. :-D