Using Facebook as a Force for Good this Lent, Part 3: Fasting

Intro:

The purpose of putting our smartphones on grayscale for Lent is to choose a form of Lenten penance that requires sacrifice while also allowing us to regain an element of thoughtfulness and recollection in our use of these devices, which can distract us from purposeful Christian lives. However, while this Lenten resolution is a good first step, it may not "solve" all our usage struggles.

Perhaps that is why so many people, instead of grayscale, choose other specific resolutions, such as giving up online shopping or social media. At times, we may feel that it the struggles come with impulse control in the little bits of time we have free. We look for distractions on our phone, and find them easily, but we are left feeling that online window-shopping or mindless social media scrolling was not the best use of our time. It lacked a sense of purpose and increased our sense of a lack of impulse control or meaning in our usage.

The question for today is how we might approach Facebook during Lent, using it as a force for good, rather than mindless, time-filling, quasi-entertainment. We consider this question with the traditional Lenten penances in mind: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving and offer concrete suggestions for using Facebook well this Lent, rather than simply giving it up.

Fasting:

The Lenten practice of fasting is, first and foremost, about food. The fasting that we still practice on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday consists of only one full meal and two smaller snacks. Until the Lent of 1967, this fast was kept on all the days of Lent (excepting solemnities). The changes to penitential practice for Lent in the United States now allow for a much broader interpretation of fasting, and people voluntarily choose to "give up" or fast from various foods or items during Lent.

The idea of going grayscale for Lent is about fasting from the color on our screens, and, like the traditional practice of fasting, it allows us to regain a sort of thoughtfulness or recollection that comes from a constant reminder. Every time we see our phones, we recognize that they look different. Many other people choose to fast from social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. There are various good reasons to consider such a fast, as well as other reasons to avoid this fast.

First, it is helpful to recognize that the traditional fasting encourages abstaining from something that is fundamentally good for us; food is necessary for our very survival. Lenten resolutions may allow us to work on sin struggles, but our Lenten sacrifices should not be about "giving up" a particular sin. For example, if we struggle with gossip, we should try to give that up during Lent, but not as a Lenten resolution. Rather, we should always be making efforts to combat that sin, not looking to take a 40 day break from it before we plunge back in.

So, when it comes to Facebook, a good question for examination is whether it regularly causes us to sin or is sometimes a near occasion of sin causing a struggle. If we recognize that we become insensitive, rude, or careless on Facebook, insulting others perhaps, or demeaning them, or using Facebook as a way to make a name for ourself, presenting ourselves as amazing people, then Facebook itself may be an occasion for sin for us, and we may need to give it up - not for Lent, but forever!

However, we may see that Facebook helps us to maintain long-distance relationships with family or friends, to find ways to help those around us in need, allows us to feel supported by others, and sometimes to engage in meaningful conversations on important topics. That doesn't mean we might not sometimes struggle with wanting to make rude remarks or wanting to show off our kids. But, especially if we are using it purposefully and thoughtfully, Facebook does not have to be an occasion of sin, and fasting from such a good may not be the best Lenten resolution for us. It may, rather, contribute to our feeling isolated from others.

Nonetheless, we may still recognize some problems with how we use this "good." Like food, we may turn to it when we're bored for entertainment. We may fill our bits of time with it, absent-mindedly looking through it when we might do other more productive or prayerful things. In such cases, there can be value in adopting some discipline here. In addition to using Facebook as a force for good by intentionally looking for almsgiving and prayer opportunities, we may want to limit our time, by setting a screen time limit on our phones or by purposefully setting aside a set time period designated to social media. We often think in terms of "all or nothing," but sometimes the best solution is, instead, something thoughtful and intentional. If we have our phones set to grayscale, we will already find less pull and enjoyment from social media, such as Facebook. Thus, rather than simply giving up Facebook, we may want to discipline our use of it, making it a force for good guided by the Lenten practices of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving.