The Facebook Effect

Have you ever caught yourself glued to Facebook for hours and then feeling bad about yourself?  You know how everyone's lives either seem super fun all the time.  Suddenly, maybe you feel like your life isn't as awesome as you thought it was?  I would like to call that the Facebook Effect.

You see the Facebook Effect tricks you into thinking that you life pales in comparison to your friends, when in reality it probably doesn't.  Think about it, how often are you going to post the most mundane, boring, and even crappy aspect of your life.  Never.  Well I take that back, there are some people who seem to do this frequently and I have no learned how to hide their newsfeeds, eureka!  But really, if you are posting something for all the world to see, wouldn't you want to put your best foot forward?

I find myself tonight mesmerized looking at photos and status messages of my own friends.  Many of my friends who are my age are married and/or have kids.  Sometimes I have wondered if I had made different decisions or taken a different path if maybe I would be married with kids now.  But as I ponder that, I also realize that I am glad with the decisions that I made and the way my life is now.  Granted, I am not saying that my life is perfect, because no one is, but I am happy with the way things are and would have made no major changes.

Besides as Christians we are not supposed to compare ourselves to others.  My friend reminded me a few minutes ago that everyone comes with "different background, experiences, and opportunities."  She is indeed correct.

So the next time you get lost in Facebook stalking remember that your life is just as awesome as everyone else.  And maybe, just maybe, someone may be stalking you and envious of the life that you are living...