# Religious Customs Before Social Life Students Give Up MySpace and Facebook for Lent By Greg Ponesse | Published 2007-03-29 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/students-give-up-myspace-and-facebook-for-lent References: [cnn](http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/03/29/no.facebook.lent/index.html) I have heard of giving up candy, pop, and TV for Lent but never this. But for some individuals, as they approach Easter, giving up Internet sites like [Facebook](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tiktoks-campus-verification) and [MySpace](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/noplace-app) is not uncommon. "It's been hard, especially in the beginning," said Kerry Graham, who reports that she quit using Facebook during Lent. **Implications** - Social networking sites have reached record adoption levels, which has caused a bit of a cultural backlash as addicted users curb their time spent online. A renewed focus on honored traditions such as religious practices offers a convenient excuse for social media users to sacrifice time spent online and emphasize offline interactions, even if only on a temporary basis. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.7/10 - Popularity: 18% | Activity: 25% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Home](https://www.trendhunter.com/home) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Renewed Focus on Honored Traditions:** This trend emphasizes the need to prioritize tradition and values over modern technological advances, creating opportunities for disruptors to explore new ways to bridge the gap between old and new. - **Cultural Backlash Against Social Media Addiction:** As more people become aware of the negative effects of social media addiction, there is an opportunity for businesses to create innovative products or solutions that counteract this trend. - **Balancing Offline and Online Interactions:** An increase in awareness of the need for balance between offline and online activities presents opportunities for companies to create products or services that help users maintain that balance. ### Where This Applies - **Religion:** Religious organizations can leverage the renewed focus on traditions to reach out to younger generations in innovative and engaging ways. - **Technology:** Tech companies can create products or features that encourage users to disconnect from social media platforms and engage in offline activities. - **Wellness:** The trend towards balancing offline and online activities presents opportunities for wellness companies to create products or services that promote mindfulness and self-care. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Retro Phone-Free Events](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/before-the-internet.md) - [Paired-Down Social Media Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/month-friend.md) - [No-Internet Couples Challenges](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kahluastiritupchallenge.md) - [Social Media-Limiting Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/limit-social-media.md) - [Sexless Social Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sexless-social-app.md) - [Addiction-Conscious Social Media Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/betimeful.md) - [College-Focused Social Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tiktoks-campus-verification.md) - [Focused Social Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lastweekend.md) - [Gen Z IRL Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hinges-phonebook.md)