A week without … Facebook

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For the past week Iโ€™ve been peaceful, productive and proactive. This was not due to an increase in motivation or caffeine, but the absence of another kind of drug: Facebook.

By now, weโ€™ve all been subject to the temptations of Facebook and, when it comes to personal experience, my willpower is no match for them. I first noticed my addiction when I realized how frequent and personal my status updates had gotten. I began Facebook creeping during important lectures, creeping instead of writing essays, even creeping alone.

A friend of mine recently deactivated her Facebook account and told me sheโ€™d never been happier. Her relationships improved; her attention span was sharp and most importantly she was able to see who her true friends were.

I couldnโ€™t help but envy this bold move and wish I had the self-discipline to do the same. Maybe I couldnโ€™t quit cold turkey, but I decided to abstain from Facebook for one week. I kept a daily journal to effectively document my experiences and reflections drawn from my week without Facebook:

Days One-Three:

I set my final status update. Devon Butler is saying goodbye to Facebook for a whole week. Good luck to me. Iโ€™m already receiving comments with the most common reaction of โ€œWhy?โ€ Well, why is it so absurd to want a life separate from the public eye? A breakthrough in my addiction was the awareness that I no longer enjoy the benefits of the site, rather I am chained to Facebook purely out of habitual nature.

Perhaps the absence of Facebook will enable me to accomplish what I set out to do each day. Suddenly, I am aware of time. Without spending those two hours on Facebook a night Iโ€™ve been able to finalize research and complete essays with additional time to spare. Perhaps Iโ€™m never as โ€œbusyโ€ as I claim to be.

I think I understand what my friend was referring to when she said deleting Facebook makes you realize who your friends are. How many events, parties and get-togethers are planned via Facebook? These forms of communication make even the simplest plans unreliable. I discovered firsthand that people get upset when you donโ€™t comply with arrangements constructed over wall-to-wall comments. You may say Iโ€™m old-fashioned, but I long for the days when friends would call me or better yet, come over just to say โ€œHey, want to hang out?โ€

Days Four-Six:
Last night I dreamed of Facebook. I had 88 vibrant red notification bubbles, ah the colour of popularity. Then I woke up. At what point did I start allowing Facebook to control my concept of identity or for that matter, my self-worth? To feel only as beautiful as my number of picture comments and only as likable as my quantity of wall posts. I think I am starting to understand the deeper psychological effects this site has on not just myself, but my entire generation.

Itโ€™s difficult enough feeling inadequate in personal aspects of your life, and Facebook is just another outlet to generate this negativity.

I thought that as I got further into this experiment I would long to look through friends compromising albums of drunken stupidity, self-deprecating status updates and the always stimulating โ€œsocial interview questions.โ€ Yet with each day, I missed it less and less until I realized I didnโ€™t miss it at all. In fact, I felt more myself in these few days than I had since the blessed years before Facebook went viral.

Thus far, the only liberating experience of Facebook was blocking an ex-boyfriend. With this experience I learned that in one click of a button I could delete somebodyโ€™s entire existence from my life. This prospect went both ways. I too could delete myself from petty online social life and become a more active member in the real world.

Day Seven:

Today I make my return to Facebook. In reflecting on the past seven days, Iโ€™d say the experience has been entirely positive. I retreated to a simpler era; spent quality time with my family, had hour long phone conversations with my friends and did not let Facebook dictate the way I feel or behave.

With over 300 million users, there is a misconception that if you arenโ€™t โ€œonโ€ Facebook, you arenโ€™t current. Just because it has become a staple in pop culture, doesnโ€™t mean it adds anything to civilization.

Iโ€™ll admit, Facebook is a convenient means of connecting with old friends, keeping in touch with new ones and getting in quick contact with someone. But there is a fine line to be drawn between your life and your life on Facebook. I may choose to abstain from Facebook in the future, and the next time I do, it will be permanent.


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