Facebook has been doing a lot to get themselves in the news lately. When everyone thought virtual reality was a thing of the past, Facebook acquired Occulus VR, the virtual reality company behind the Oculus Rift headset, for $2 Billion. Once they had everyone talking, they went ahead and conducted a secret mood manipulation experiment controversial enough for COO Sheryl Sandberg to issue an apology.
A report from Mashable shows that on average, we spend about 7 hours a month on Facebook. Other reports have also shown that Facebook usage increases the level of depression in teens.Think about it: while we’re busy posting the best pictures of ourselves, in our most fabulous outfits, on our perfect vacations, those sitting at home digesting what we’re posting can’t help but feel inadequate, even if what they’re looking at is truly just an amped-up, filtered, reworded version of our everyday lives. With all of the negative sentiment around Facebook, we’ve even heard people asking themselves whether they should just delete their accounts all together.
A few months ago, FastCompany’s Barathund Thurston left the internet behind for 25 days, and then wrote about the refreshing, yet isolating experience for the magazine. As a response to Facebook’s recent mood experiment, a Dutch agency has launched 99 Days of Freedom, a “mood project” where you don’t log in to Facebook for 99 days. The idea is that the time period is long enough to “make an impact on the users’ lives,” and allow users to really adjust to a day-to-day without Facebook, “but short enough so they do not get bored of the experiment.”
As Facebook’s experiment proves, it doesn’t have to be a negative space. If you are sharing happy things, and your friends are sharing happy things, then Facebook could actually be elevating your mood. For those that feel reliant enough on, or effected enough by Facebook to need a break, the 99 Days of Freedom could be a great solution. After all, there are still tons of other social networks to commit your time to. Just this week, I’ve read about a scuba diver social network, a social network for musicians, and the blockbuster success of Whisper. Pick your poison.