The Facebook Diet (or Listening with Intent)
Last week, except for a few Fathers' Day photos, I didn't post on Facebook. You could say I went on a Facebook diet. Cut out the starchy, empty carbs (also known as "clickbait.") Got away from the screen, took longer walks. De-listed myself from pointless pages I'd once liked. I did share a few responses to others' posts on Facebook. But for seven days, I refrained from sharing links to other stories and videos, or leaving pseudo-pithy observations of my own. Mostly, I eavesdropped on the din of discourse on the world's largest gossip website. What happened when I stepped back from the "scream of consciousness" of Facebook? I spent less time fretting over what to post. No pontificating on the missteps of public figures. No hunting for decades-old snapshots for "Throwback Thursday." And, I got more stuff done. I thought friends would take note of my absence, message me, and ask if I were OK. I was mistaken. I blew past th...