06 July 2011

Life Without Facebook

It was harder than I thought it would be, but I am finally Facebook Free. Since deleting my account I feel so liberated. I don’t miss it one bit. I realize this is bucking the system slightly, especially in a world where everything is turning to social media, but it just had to be done.

I have so much more time each day to be productive without Facebook. Yes, I was getting that bad, checking status updates, browsing friends profiles, browsing fan pages at all hours of the day. It seemed if I didn’t have something specific to do at any given moment, that I would open the computer, or get on my smart phone and pull up Facebook. I was starting to update the world through my status updates. I was starting to wonder if Facebook was made by Skynet and Cyberdine,
then I remembered that is actually Google.

My Facebook departure has really got me thinking about the days before we were so “connected.” Remember when we had to carry dimes (and later quarters) just to be able to use a telephone. Do pay phones still exist? Are we “too” connected?

So I have cut the puppet strings. Feels good, like when you are sitting on a beach and the sun is warming your naked body. Don’t deny it, you know what that feels like.

No Facebook, no twitter. Only blogs. I love the blog world, except it seems like many bloggers are easing up on their posts lately, including me. I liked when it was such a trend and almost everyone was blogging. I have always been a “keep in touch” kind of person. Except not the Facebook kind of keep in touch, the meaningful kind of keeping in touch, with substance. Blogging fills that void much better than Facebook.

I remember when I first joined Facebook. Paul Newman, yep, Paul Newman told me about it. He thought it would be a good way for us to keep in touch. It was so cool at first, reconnecting with old friends. “Liking” random things. Playing all those games. Then it sucked me in like the Mega Maid on Spaceballs.
So much time spent doing nothing. Tagging the elementary school photos is only entertaining for a few weeks.

Now its all done. My Mafia is underground, my bejewels are losing their luster, and my large bankroll in poker is just burning a hole in the cyber-casino. “In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.” Franklin D Roosevelt said that. “Once free from the vice of Facebook, life gets better.” I said that.


Like I said, I don’t miss it. I enjoy that I have reconnected with old friends, and though Facebook provided that reconnection, it has served its purpose, and ran its course. And I am done.

6 comments:

Hendricksonblog said...

Big fat giant AMEN!!!
It really does feel good like giving up an addiction!
I like blogs too much much more than facebook

Aimee said...

I need to get rid of Facebook. I rarely look at it though. I'm not much of a fb addict. Just a casual fb user. I do wonder what it must feel like to give something up that I love. I have no self control. Maybe I will try giving something up for my mid-life crisis. I think its coming sooner than I want to admit. Maybe I will give up circus peanuts or diet coke. Nah .. not today. Good job to you. You are strong. May the force continue to be with you.

Natalie said...

Good job on giving up on facebook. My fear with facebook is that it's used as a tool for the ward to spy on the bishop's wife. The day Neal was called, I had over 20 friend requests from people in the ward. I immediately deleted the link to my blog that was on my facebook profile.

Lucky for me, I hate any sort of computer game, so facebook for me is only for status updates and spying on people in my ward:)

Anonymous said...

I saw two, yes 2, pay phones in Jellystone last week and I was just as excited to see them as I would of been had I seen a bear!

I say, to each his own!

Kristi Kroeger said...

First Pepsi and now Facebook?! I mean really. If you give up all of your vices successfully, I am going to feel pressured to follow suite.

Stephanie said...

I am anti as well. Amy H. talked me into joining a few years ago. I lasted like 2 weeks. It creeped me out. There are some people that I'd RATHER NOT have find me. Good for you. I prefer the old fashioned way of staying in touch. I often MAIL letters... SNAIL MAIL. Love it. I realize it dates me, but so be it! ;) Congrats on your detox and recovery. Call my landline or write me a letter if you need help/support in moments of withdrawl.