As I sit here and attempt to write this blog entry I think about one major distraction. Facebook. I, like most people my age have a Facebook account. I am friends with many people in which I have met in many different places, some of them only once and I know I will never see again. Almost 90% of the time once I turn on my computer I login to Facebook and check my news feed. I read people status updats, look at new pictures posted and poke through the occasional friend’s page. While talking to a friend at work today, I mentioned how we weren’t friends on Facebook. My friend is the same age as me, lives a town away and goes to the same school. I found it to be odd, she had said the most shocking words I’ve heard in a while, “I don’t have a Facebook”. I was astounded; it was veryyy rare, almost unheard of someone in their early twenties, in college living in this area to not have a Facebook. I found it sad that I had reacted to this girl not having a page.
She had explained to be that she once had a Facebook page and after a hard breakup she found herself looking at her exes page and she realized she could just de-friend him but that she was also reading and seeing things from other people’s pages on her news feed. Once she thought about it she realized that some of these people she didn’t even talk to, or sees. Why was she interested in looking at things that had to say or post? I think she had a pretty valid point. She continued to reason with me about how if she wanted to keep contact with people that they would more than likely have her phone number and would trying calling or texting her. Not to mention the fact that when she logged on facebook she was immediately distracted reading things about other people she wasn’t even close with.
While my friend continued to talk about not having a Facebook, she admitted it was hard at first, being a Facebook addict, much like myself. She told me after about two days she didn’t even care, she mentioned that people whom she normally talked to called and texted her asking why she deleted her page. She told them the same reasons she told me. While most people my age allow most of their procrastination to go towards Facebook and what is going on in other people’s lives, I have decided that Facebook needs a break. I came home from work and was so convinced, that I deleted my Facebook page.
For me, I admit I was a little addicted to Facebook, I was getting updates on my phone. I know that not having a Facebook will be hard but it had come to a point where I needed a break. Now, if I find the need to procrastinate I hope to at least do or read something productive that will attribute to my life such as read the newspaper or go to the gym. I realize now that having a Facebook is an extremely “life clogging tool” for some individuals. I know that this semester I am swarmed with work and often find myself on the site while I am supposed to be doing homework. I am considering the deletion a trial for now and I am going to see how my life improves without Facebook.
I wonder if other people in college were to delete their pages and go back to the “old school” ways of communicating. What would happen?
Good for you! I have gone through the same thought process of needing a break from facebook. It's disgusting how much of your time it consumes! It is so liberating once it is actually gone.
ReplyDeleteI have found that it is impossible to actually DELETE your facebook page though, and you can only deactivate it. Have you found this? I could be wrong! And good luck to you! Stay strong.
No, you can't delete your Facebook you can only deactivate it.Unfortunately Facebook is like crack to our young people these days.
ReplyDeleteWhen you "deactivate" your facebook the site treats all of your information as if it was never there. So if deactivating for employment purposes it is useful.
ReplyDelete