Yesterday, after downloading my entire Facebook profile — which I highly recommend doing from time to time — I decided to shut down my account. Next to the obvious privacy concerns, which I won’t get into here, I found myself spending an awful lot of time consuming the information of people I knew, cared for, but didn’t care for enough to go through all their daily doings. I’m sure I’ll miss it, and if the desire or need gets high, I’ll reactivate my account, but for now, I’m sans Facebook. I wonder if anyone will even realise I’m gone. I doubt it, which is kind of the point.
3 comments on “Facebook”
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Making me sign up for a WordPress account so I can tell you that I noticed you’re no longer on Facebook – I hope you’re happy now!
I’m curious how this goes for you. I can understand the perspective to a point – and it’s something 32 said years ago – although I think it’s less accurate now. Facebook (and social media in general) has become the medium through which people share what’s going on in their lives. 10 years ago, we would post in bulldrek about what was going on – now, it’s just on Facebook/twitter/whatever. I go back and forth on this myself a lot, honestly.
As of now I still have this habitual desire to go and check Facebook, but that will likely fade. If it doesn’t and if it turns out Facebook has sunk its claws deeper than I anticipated, I’ll be right back getting my next hit.
I don’t think that I shared or consumed this much private information 10 years ago. Perhaps on my journal, but certainly not on Bulldrek. Sure, we hung out and discussed things, but I think the nature of Facebook is far less communal and far more individualistic. It’s all about presenting yourself to others rather than an honest exchange of ideas and banter.
The one thing that I think I will miss the most about Facebook is the events that you could post there. But it certainly won’t be the engaging conversations I had there. :)
Do you think how big your facebook archive is reflects how much space you take up in the world? ;) I’m downloading mine right now.
I think a lot of people I know and care about would take it personally if I suddenly disappeared from facebook, so I’m not doing that but I am trying to discipline myself from being tempted to take a look as often as I do, and also share as often as I do. Self-restraint! But unfortunately, I think the real culprit for losing precious time these days, for me, is probably Whatsapp. Wondering if I have the guts to delete THAT.