When social media saps your energy

When I was growing up, my best friend and I bounced back and forth between our two houses, so we knew each other’s parents well. As we became teenagers, my friend’s mom adopted a phrase she used when we were being particularly dramatic or teenager-ish. She’d say, “Now girls, that just makes me tired.” We thought it was supremely funny when she said this because she’d combine it with an exasperated eye roll. Lately I’ve been remembering Ms. Patricia’s fatigue because these days – especially when I’m on social media – I feel it, too. Facebook makes me tired. I don’t hate Facebook or its social media cousins. I’m a writer and, in theory, I embrace communication. But when I wade into Facebook’s news stream, a tidal wave of information from hundreds of people crashes into me and, after a few minutes, I feel like I need to get out before I drown. With more than 2.1 billion Facebook daily users, I assumed my reluctance put me in the minority.

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