Facebook and Grief
Facebook and grief, an interesting thought !When Facebook started in 2004 I was very hesitant to have any part of it. I worked in the IT world and knew the power it held. I told my family and friends that it would change the way we interact and put a negative spin on relationship building. They often silenced me and their response was that I operated in a realm of fear. I knew they were enthralled with the new technology as everyone else was at the time. Yet, my inner guidance system told me it would ultimately not be good for society as a whole. I learned to silence my thoughts about it and finally succumbed to using it in 2006 after the suicide of my husband in 2005. I created a Facebook Page for Suicide Survivors Support. Therefore I found some good and focused on its benefits.
I resisted creating a private page for many years, but finally gave into that idea as well. It made it easier for me to stay connected to family and friends who lived out of state. But, I limited my friends and certainly didn’t spend much time on it.
My Journey through grief:
My journey through grief led to my transformation and several years later I started my own Grief Coaching Business. This meant, I needed to use Facebook even more. New social media platforms arrived on the scene and I began to use them as well. I spent too much time on it. I knew it, but was still sucked into it because I wanted my business to succeed.
The realization hit that it was controlling me and my time. I don’t want everyone else’s opinions in my face, nor do I want to be inundated with bad news. Sadly, people are psychologically affected by the “likes” or “not likes” to their posts.
Facebook and grief does exist.
Social Media is basically mind control. I know that it sounds fear based, but it’s not. I have been saying it for years and inherently have known it. But now I am glad that influential people broadcast it. One person in particular that I am in agreement with on many levels is Chamath Palihapitiya, former Facebook vice-president. He left Facebook in 2011.
Here are some quotes from an interview at Stanford University. He expressed regret for his part in building tools that destroy and said, “I think we have created tools that are ripping apart the social fabric of how society works. The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops that we have created are destroying how society works. No civil discourse, no cooperation, misinformation, mistruth.
And this is not an American problem. This is not about Russian ads,” he added. “This is a global problem. It is eroding the core foundations of how people behave by and between each other.”
He warned his audience: “If you feed the beast, that beast will destroy you. It’s time to take a hard break from some of these tools.”
So the question I ask is; what did he do?
He removed himself from social media.
His video below, published in 2017 is brilliant. It’s approximately 56 minutes long. He begins speaking about Facebook at around 21:00 minutes.
Sean Parker, the first president of Facebook has also sounded the alarm on how social networks purposely hook us and potentially cause mental damage. I totally agree!
Sadly, social media is not only used for business, it has become epidemic in personal use. It’s created an addiction, especially among the young people. It has literally affected their brains and often times has been used to cause harm and abuse. We know this from cyberbullying. We know that it is on the rise. Tragically, teens are dying by suicide due to bullying. What is this beast we have created? We are exploiting human psychology.
You can watch a recent interview of a 12-year girl that died by suicide due to bullying.
Facebook and grief does exist so we shouldn’t ignore it.
I believe there needs to a shift in our consciousness about how we interact with one another. It’s important to take a stand and stop the addiction to social media. This means to limit or remove yourself altogether from it. Your mind has been controlled, therefore it’s difficult. But you must realize that you have the power of choice. Don’t let social media win. Take control of your time and your thoughts. Fill your mind with things that are positive and interact with other humans as much as possible. Spend time with others doing physical activities. Be in nature as much as possible. These positive shifts will make lasting memories and can release the bondage to social media. Therefore, the choice is yours!
Help spread the awareness by sharing this post. Do your part!
In conclusion, don’t let facebook and grief become your master!
P.S. If you feel stuck after losing a loved one or from a difficult experience? I will help guide you on your journey and you will discover that everything you need is already within you. You can learn to love your life after loss. Start moving forward now. Click HERE to schedule your FREE consultation with Me!
Love and Light,
Robin Chodak
Certified Grief, Life, Spiritual Coach
Certified Master NLP Practitioner, Reiki Practitioner
