For Catholics around the world, Lent is a time of year to give up something that is important to you in order to show that you are willing to sacrifice. For most, the Lenten tradition means giving up eating red meat, or chocolate or caffeine. This can also be a time to start being nicer to people or changing some other habit you know is not exactly a positive.
This year, more than any other, it seems as though Lent has truly jumped into the 21st century. The first indication that Lent has finally jumped into modern times was the announcement that the Vatican would begin tweeting Lenten messages during the period. Now at least one person has given up one of the most popular social networking sites as his “sacrifice.”
Manchester student Lauren Percival is giving up Facebook (News - Alert) for Lent and is blogging about her adventure in order to show people why she's doing it, how it’s going and possibly as a way to encourage others to take a break from the site as well.
Obviously, there are some who would think not visiting a website isn't that much of a sacrifice, but the social networking site has over 30 million users in the UK and a majority of them visit the site at least once a day. The average Facebook user in the UK spends 15.5 hours on Facebook each month. That particular pastime can take up a good chunk of a user's time and the cravings to just visit the site once can be just as difficult to ignore as a cigarette or a can of beer.
“Over the years I have become addicted to Facebook; I’ve rekindled past friendships, formed new ones and even been involved in arguments,” Percival explained as the reason she was giving up Facebook for Lent. Percival went on to talk about how Facebook is a great site, but it can also serve as a big time distraction, especially for a college student trying to excel in classes. “And that’s why I’ve decided it’s time to take a break.” Percival added in her first blog post.
Edited by Rich Steeves
