I’ve learned a lot about pineapples in the last few weeks. Did you know a pineapple is actually a bunch of berries embedded in a stem? Botanists call it a “multiple fruit.” Also, the word “pineapple” was originally ascribed to pinecones. Early European explorers called pineapples such because they resembled pinecones.

Unless you are a Trivia Night regular, these facts may not come in handy any time soon. But you know what is handy? A pineapple growing in your kitchen.

It is quite simple to grow the tropical fruit. All you need is a pineapple, dirt, and a pot. You cut away most of the fruit and simply plant the leafy top of the pineapple in some dirt. Give it some space and time and soon, you’ll have another pineapple.

And to think all of this tropical fruity goodness started with a simple question.

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“If I asked you to go without Facebook for the month of February, do you think you could do it?”

In our gathering space full of college students, my question was met with many uncomfortable responses. I heard a student mutter under her breath, “I don’t think so.” There was shifting in the seats and embarrassed giggling. The verdict was in: most didn’t think they could endure a month without their pixelated drug of choice.

It was then I dropped this bomb: “Your reaction to my question reveals what controls you. Facebook owns you.” And, I explained, we don’t want to be under the control of anything other than the Holy Spirit.

And so, we introduced our ministry to Facebook Free February.

The premise is simple: cut away Facebook for the entire month of February and, like a pineapple, use the newly found space and time to create and contribute.

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Allow me to begin by making a simple, yet important point: Facebook is not the problem. Facebook is a tool and, like any tool, it is good when used properly. A hammer is good when used for hanging up pictures. A hammer is dangerous when used for hitting someone in the face.

For most of our students, Facebook has subtly forced its way into the forefront of life. It commands their time and won’t allow them moments of peace. According to recent statistics, the average user spends 20 minutes on Facebook each time they visit. Most of our students view Facebook multiple times each day. Between logging in on their laptop and checking it on their phone between classes, lots of minutes (which turn into hours) are being lost forever in Facebook-land.

Our students then wonder why they don’t have as much time as they’d like for God, for face-to-face relationships, and for their studies.

Facebook Free February was, in its simplest terms, an opportunity for our students to put Facebook back in its rightful place. It gave students 29 days to take back ground they had inadvertently and unknowingly surrendered.

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Facebook feeds the consumer mindset of our students. Based on my observations, most of our students simply gobble up the content created by others on Facebook. If students do engage in the conversation, it’s often with a click of the “Like” button, a lazy status update, or a share of the latest funny cat picture.

We encouraged our students to subvert this mad consumption with creativity and contribution. If students are made in the image of God, then they are made to create things of beauty and value and share them with their world.

During Facebook Free February, we urged students to make a list of goals to accomplish with all of their newly found space and time. My friend, Hannah (who, incidentally, dreamed this entire concept up and has not re-joined the Facebook community yet) made a list of 29 things she hoped to accomplish during February. She wrote letters, started a blog, memorized Scripture, and built new relationships. And, get this: she planted a pineapple! Instead of simply consuming the mindless banter on Facebook, Hannah offered something of value to those around her. (She has promised to share the pineapple with me when it ripens.)

How else could our students creatively contribute to the world around them if they weren’t distracted by the noise of Facebook? They would ask their roommate how they are really doing. They would take an international student to Walmart. They would buy their favorite campus minister a decaf Americano with room. The possibilities are endless and we must encourage our students to fully engage with the three-dimensional people in order to seize them.

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On March 1st, nearly all of our students went back to Facebook. And while it may seem that things went back to normal, our students changed. Most resumed Facebook with a desire for less. One likened it to eating only vegetables for 29 days and then realizing the idea of eating a pile of chocolate-covered sugar with sprinkles doesn’t sound too appealing.

They decided to control the noise they allow Facebook to introduce into their lives. One student says she has banished much of the drama from her life thanks to re-establishing boundaries with Facebook. Another adopted a “less is more” mentality and trimmed her friends list to eliminate clutter in hopes of building deeper relationships on Facebook. The daily amount of time I personally spend on Facebook has been cut in half.

Howard Hendricks said, “The secret of concentration is elimination.” Much like the pineapple, our students will concentrate on creating and contributing things of beauty and value if we’ll help them eliminate that which throws them off-course.

From the deepening of a relationship with Christ to the growing of tropical fruit, students need space and time. Unfortunately, Facebook is a bully when it comes to those two ingredients. Eliminating Facebook for a season, however, is one way to empower students to plant themselves in a pot where they find the ample space and time needed to grow and bear sweet fruit.

 

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