I'm 22 and just out of college. You would probably assume I use Facebook just about as much (or more) as the next guy. For a long while, I did. Two and a half weeks ago, I removed my account, and it's felt incredibly great since then.
I'm all for alternative ways to communicate with people. Communication and networking is, after all, human nature, and typically leads to increased happiness. So phone, texting, email, coffee date - all good. Hell, even a Facebook private message won't hurt. But Facebook and other similar sites take it into another realm. It DEpersonalizes communication. When I post on my wall and ten people comment, are they all really necessarily my friends? Do they actually care what I'm doing or thinking about? No, they probably just read something interesting and rambled about it. I check the feed, see what people are doing, and stalk their pages for awhile. Why? Do their up-to-the-minute statuses affect my life? Do I care about so-and-so's opinion of Obama's speech, or that episode of Jersey Shore? No, I'm just bored, but it's available and addictive, like a drug, so I do it. It's also a crutch. It's a go-to time killer instead of doing something productive or something for myself. It's a subsitute for real life conversation. Instead of calling that cute girl you just met, friend her instead - it's easier. Post on your wife's or kid's wall, instead of talking to them in the evening at home. I could go on.
I don't want to resist inevitable change. I always look to the future, ready to embrace new things, and hate it when people are stubborn and hold things back. But I don't feel like Facebook is just a "getting with the times" sort of thing, like a stubborn parent who refuses to text. I feel it's a crutch, an addictive bad habit, and a poor substitute for better, more meaningful, and more personal forms of communication. And that's why the past couple weeks without Facebook have felt liberating.
Instantly telling me "good for you" or "have fun with that" won't be very constructive here. I'm posting this because I'm still trying to interpret my own opinions about this, and am curious why I'm thinking differently than 90% of other people my age, and would like to hear opinoins, critiques, and experiences of others.
I'm all for alternative ways to communicate with people. Communication and networking is, after all, human nature, and typically leads to increased happiness. So phone, texting, email, coffee date - all good. Hell, even a Facebook private message won't hurt. But Facebook and other similar sites take it into another realm. It DEpersonalizes communication. When I post on my wall and ten people comment, are they all really necessarily my friends? Do they actually care what I'm doing or thinking about? No, they probably just read something interesting and rambled about it. I check the feed, see what people are doing, and stalk their pages for awhile. Why? Do their up-to-the-minute statuses affect my life? Do I care about so-and-so's opinion of Obama's speech, or that episode of Jersey Shore? No, I'm just bored, but it's available and addictive, like a drug, so I do it. It's also a crutch. It's a go-to time killer instead of doing something productive or something for myself. It's a subsitute for real life conversation. Instead of calling that cute girl you just met, friend her instead - it's easier. Post on your wife's or kid's wall, instead of talking to them in the evening at home. I could go on.
I don't want to resist inevitable change. I always look to the future, ready to embrace new things, and hate it when people are stubborn and hold things back. But I don't feel like Facebook is just a "getting with the times" sort of thing, like a stubborn parent who refuses to text. I feel it's a crutch, an addictive bad habit, and a poor substitute for better, more meaningful, and more personal forms of communication. And that's why the past couple weeks without Facebook have felt liberating.
Instantly telling me "good for you" or "have fun with that" won't be very constructive here. I'm posting this because I'm still trying to interpret my own opinions about this, and am curious why I'm thinking differently than 90% of other people my age, and would like to hear opinoins, critiques, and experiences of others.
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