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Giving up Facebook for Lent

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that many ADULTS ARE PLANNING ON GIVING UP FACEBOOK FOR LENT.

It seems to be a growing trend, with such Facebook groups as

  • Giving up Facebook for Lent
  • Can you give up Facebook for Lent…?
  • No Facebook for 40 days
  • Mike Gave Up Facebook for Lent, so Write on his Wall
  • James, be a bad catholic and come back to Facebook
  • I tried to give up Facebook for Lent… and failed
  • No, I didn’t give up facebook for lent

While giving up Facebook for Lent was an act mostly practiced by college students last year, as Facebook usage by older adults has increased over the past year, it is not a surprise that more adults have taken this pledge.

The justification is that Lent is to abstain from something that would be difficult to do.  One quote in the article said “it’s easy to give up clams, because I hate clams”. Facebook users have a bit more of an addiction to posting their daily exploits.

Because of the addictive nature of Facebook and other social networking sites, most users who are giving up Facebook for Lent are concerned that they won’t be able to make it through the 40 days.  So they’re already justifying in their minds what to do in case they slip up and fall back into their old habits.  As one interviewee stated: “It’s not like when I took a solemn vow to my wife,” he says. “It’s just Facebook, for goodness sakes. I’m not wearing a ring.”