Leaving Facebook

I realized a couple of days before I planned to publish this, that I was writing about something I'd done to preserve my mental health just in time for #lismentalhealth week. How fortuitous! So what did I do to help my peace of mind? I quit Facebook.

It all started when I read about yet another data breech shortly after reading about how their policies aid the disinformation efforts of foreign governments. I had been spending less and less time there, but that pushed me over into actually leaving. The policies and selling my information and targeted ads and everything, including the smarmy face of Zuckerberg, were finally too much. (I deleted my Instagram forever ago and never had WhatsApp, so I really am Facebook-free.)

I know this is going to come across as deluded or hypocritical, considering I haven't left Tumblr or Twitter or Google. I'm realistic and know I can't completely disengage. I also know that with a mini-computer in my pocket which tracks my whereabouts whether I have the GPS on or not, I'll never be completely off the grid.  Also, I know there is no such thing as ethical consumerism, but I'm trying to be thoughtful and to pick my battles. In my mind, since Twitter is where I connect most with my friends and colleagues, I'm going to fight for it. As for Tumblr, it used to be a safe haven for queer youth and sex workers, so I'm going to fight for that as well. It's just that I have only so much fight in me, and I feel like it would be better served elsewhere. I really do think Facebook is important for some people, but I'm going to have to leave the fight to restore it to what it could be to others.

I did this to protect a little of my sanity, and I don't regret it at all.

It's been about a month now, and I've only had the twinge a few times other than every Tuesday and Thursday when I - for years and years - posted new blog entries to three social media sites. I've got to tell you, though, my hits haven't gone down noticeably and I don't miss the morass that was Facebook.

How about you? Are you still on Facebook?

On Social Media Breaks, Mental Health, and Productivity

Towards the end of the day last Tuesday, I got "Misery is the River of the World" stuck in my head. It wasn't because I love Tom Waits - I do, but that wasn't the reason. No, it was because I'd seen almost nothing but horrors and nightmares (almost exclusively perpetrated by our current administration) on social media that day. To be honest, it had been like that for days and days. Except on Tuesday, when I saw someone compare a thing the current administration is doing to the Stasi, I knew I'd had enough. I said to myself, and to a few friends as I explained the reason for my break from my formerly beloved Twitter, "Misery might be the river of the world, but that doesn't mean I need to swim in it constantly." A bit over dramatic? Yes. Still true.

And so, partially inspired by Derrick Jefferson, I quit. Obviously temporarily, since I posted this in all the normal places. I logged into neither Twitter nor Tumblr nor Facebook - other than to add things to the queue for Owl Zeppelin - for almost a week. It wasn't bliss, but it wasn't bad. The impulse to check came and went, but I got through it every time it came. I knew what I was getting into, though, since changing any habit is hard. The results weren't hard to predict, either... I am so much calmer and more in my skin than I've been ever in recent memory. Also, hella more productive - especially at home. I can't remember the last time I went more than a couple of days without checking at least one of my social media places, so it stands to reason I can't recall when I've been this calm and productive.

I did keep up with news during my time away. I've got a profile set up with IssueVoter.org, and they email me when there is legislation that is important to me so I can call my elected representatives. (Actually, I call Representative Louise Slaughter's Rochester office so often I think her staff are starting to recognize not just my name but also my voice.) I also scanned the front page of Twitter for big news items without logging in, and asked a couple of friends to let me know if anything major was happening.

It was great, but I need to be realistic. I hate the phone so much that social media is sometimes the only way I can keep in touch with some of my friends. That means I need to figure out a way to stay connected without losing my sanity to what's going on in the world. I need to be part of the social media communities I've built/been part of, but without ingesting all the horror and misery. That's going to be a problem, though. "Yes," I can handle. Likewise, "no." In between? Not so much. As a way to build my capacity for "a little," I'm going to try to spend no more than 30 minutes on social media each day - at least until it's a fully ingrained habit. I think much more than that and it won't be out of curiosity and genuinely wanting to catch up - more than that, for me, and it will be wallowing.

Finally, I'm posting about it here for a few of reasons:

• Saying something publicly means I'm that much more likely to follow through with it;
• I'm hoping I'll inspire some of you to take a break, like Derrick inspired me;
• I need to remind myself to take care of myself to be strong for the long haul - because it's going to be a long one.

"Call no man happy til he dies," is a line in that Tom Waits song up there. That may be true, but that doesn't mean I can't try to find some peace along the way.

Just for Fun: Animal Twitter

I was challenged to come up with a list of all the animal accounts I follow on Twitter. So, in this spirit of Carrie Anne's Follow Friday posts, here it is:

CATS

• Beer Cats does exactly what it says on the label: shows cats hanging out with beer. Any wonder I adore it?
• Cat Food Breath says what we all know our cats are thinking.
• Cat Shepherd (Bodacious) is will let you know that shepherding isn't just for dogs anymore.
• Ferris is another sheep cat. Even sheepdogs do what Ferris says.
• Nayalan is a Japanese tourist cat. Travelogue plus cats = win!
• My Sweary Cat (Shipley) is very nsfw, but also very funny.
• Tidy Cat, yes - the cat litter brand - isn't just full of cats, it's also a great example of a corporate account that gets it.
• Why My Cat Is Sad (The Bear) is a real downer, but adorable nonetheless.
• Why My Cat Is Smug (Ralph) is a cat's cat. Rough and ready. And, of course, smug.

ZOO/NON-PET ANIMALS

• Baby Tapirs, not many things in this world more ridiculous or cute than a baby tapir.
• Emergency Elephants has cute pictures (obvi) and plenty of bad/good jokes.
• Emergency Fox is a good source of political humor.
• Emergency Wolf, because you never know when you'll need a cute picture of a wolf.
• Fabulous Cheetahs - do I really need to explain the appeal?
• National Zoo would be fabulous, even without wrestling tamanduas.
• Philadelphia Zoo is the one I think of as "mine," since I have a membership there. Also, sloth bears.
• You Need Capybaras tweets infrequently, but it's so worth the wait.
• ZooBorns. Baby anything is cute. ANYTHING.
• ZSL London Zoo is a smorgasbord of different animals. The best part is that once a week they'll take a picture of animals chosen by people who follow them.

BIRDS

• Bird Library is one of my recent favorites. Literary references + birds = win
• Chris Skaife isn't a bird, but he is the Ravenmaster at the Tower of London and he posts lots of pictures of his bird overlords and ladies.
• The Crowtographer posts stunning pictures of one of my favorite corvids.
• Streetcrow - Supposedly from the point of view of an actual crow. Love it.

MISCELLANEOUS

• Bunny Buddhism combines two things I adore and the result is as good as when somebody combined chocolate and peanut butter.
• Common Squirrel. Do you really need an explanation of how cute squirrels are?
• Dogebrarian. If you are a librarian and like memes, you should already be following this one.
• Emergency Cute Stuff practices what it preaches. 
• Hi! We Are Spiders. Yes, I like spiders. Get over it.

So what, if any, animal accounts do you follow? Why? 

ello? Nope.

This was originally going to be a long-ish post about the ins and outs of ello. I got an invite early last week and immediately started playing around with what seemed like a new toy. I spent time learning how to upload, how to post links and gifs and whatever else, and how to use ello. I had lots of notes and was gathering quotes from other newb users, but then I saw something that had me change my mind so much that I deleted my account.

What happened? Well, I learned about their business model (tl;dr is that the people behind the business took money from venture capitalists which means ello might not be selling our information now, but they will almost certainly sell us out later on). There's no mention of the almost $500k they took on their page about why they don't have advertisement on the site. The old truism of "If you're not paying for the product, you are the product," isn't always true, but it's something I keep in the back of my mind when I hear about "free" things. And it came back to me when I learned about the venture capitalism.

The truth is, I should check out these things ahead of time. However, the allure of an ad free, privacy oriented online social network was more than I could resist. I should have known better, really. And okay, I'm a bit of a hypocrite here... I've sold my soul to Android/Google and am 90% comfortable with that. I've also sold my soul to Twitter and Facebook, with varying degrees of comfort. I do have one frequent shopper card... I cringe every time I use it, but I still use it. And now I find out I bought the magic beans again? Again, I say, "nope." And, to quote one of my favorite movies, I say...

Update on 10/2/14: I'm still getting email from them even though I deleted my account and have tried unsubscribing. No, I'm not happy about this.

You, Me, and Social Media, by Virginia Alexander

I found that as a MLIS graduate student, I had few librarian connections. I wasn’t sure where to turn, or how to start making connections with library-minded people in my area and beyond. As I became more and more interested in social media, I started seeing the value of putting myself out there online and how connections through various online platforms could impact job opportunities, friendships, and networking.

2013 has been the year of cultivating my own personal brand of librarianship through social media and my current blog. Now that I have a year under my belt working with various platforms, I only wish that I had begun earlier and certainly wish I would have begun as a graduate student.  I’ve learned many things along the way, and want to share them with you.

What are you conveying to friends, colleagues, and possible future employers online?

Many times it is hard to understand what avenue to take on social media, especially for a young librarian or graduate student. Social media is meant to be fun, but it is also a very powerful outlet. We may feel like we are connecting on a one-on-one level, but it is important to remember there are potentially multiple people viewing your profile.

If you are just beginning your social media adventure or are thinking about revamping your current one, I would like to recommend:

• START SMALL: As a librarian, I firmly believe that being on Twitter and connecting with other librarians from all over the world will help you not only learn more about your profession, but also do more at conferences, and develop a general understanding about provocative issues in the library field. Invest in learning more about an aggregator platform such as HootSuite. You can do certain keyword searches through various platforms such as #libchat.
• FIND YOUR VOICE: As your skills as a librarian develop, this will become easier. I hope to convey what type of person I am through my Twitter account, and various social media. I know that this can feel like a sticky situation because you want to show your personality while still remaining professional in the face of potential employers reading your timeline. It is a fine balance. Remember that your who you are online is an extension of who you are offline.
• FOLLOW THE CHAMPIONS: Whenever I start something I really don’t understand, I try to find the “champions” of that thing. Following PLA, ACRL, Courtney Young (ALA President Elect), and others that will guide you in understanding what is important in the library field.

Best Practices

• NO FIGHTING: Always stand up for what you believe in, but in a non-aggressive manner. Proving your point and tearing someone down are two very different things. Remember, your potential employer, or potential co-worker, could be watching. Show them that you know how to defend your opinions rather than bombard the opposing viewpoint.
• CONTENT: Understanding what you want to post about is a tricky cat to dress. Some librarians on twitter only post or retweet statuses that deal with librarianship or research. Some librarians only talk about their personal life, and some do a mix of both. For myself, I try to talk about things that excite me. I try to show other people what I am creating. I try to encourage others. As you move further into social media, what you want to achieve will become more apparent. Don’t force it.
• DON’T TAKE IT PERSONALLY: I would say that this is the hardest one for me. Many times people will want to fight, or will want to unfollow for various reasons. You as a young (or just new) librarian must be able to understand that it isn’t personal.
• STEP AWAY: Always know your limitations. Many times it is important to step away from social media. If you start feeling that overwhelmed, put down the device and take a moment. Chances are that you won’t miss very much. Social Media will always be there waiting for you to return.

The concept of Digital Citizenship is still fairly new, and also somewhat geared towards a younger audience. You have the opportunity to be conscious of the image you are projecting and instead of avoiding the subject all together, take the topic by the reigns and become king of your social media. You control your image! I can wager that you will find other librarian that have the same interests as yourself, and will be as lucky as me to find some wonderful friendships as well.

Virginia Alexander, also known as the SketchLibrarian, is an academic librarian in South Carolina. In her spare time, she enjoys drawing, crafting, and creating. You take a look at all of her drawings, library musings, and general hatred of interstate-driving on her blog, SketchLibrarian, Three things about three things. Please also connect with her on twitter @SketchLibrarian