Why I Left Facebook

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Did you notice that I'm no longer on facebook? It's ok if you didn't, in fact, it just reaffirms my departure from it. I decided that I could make this post into a Tuesday Ten, so here it goes...

Ten Reasons Why I Left Facebook (and haven't looked back)

1. I have two blogs, a phone, a cell phone, email, ichat, skype, and wonderful people around me...
      I think that is more than enough ways to keep in touch with people!

2. Facebook connections are fake anyways....
     The reasons why I resisted giving up facebook were mainly the connection it gave me to my friends back home, but one day it dawned on me that reading their statuses and creeping on their photos really isn't a connection... It's just fake and kind of creepy.

3. It's a big time waster...
     I could (and have) spent so much time on there just looking through things that are so pointless.

4. It doesn't actually increase blog traffic....
     I think that in the beginning, facebook was a great tool for getting a little extra exposure to my blog, but it wasn't really bringing in any new people. This has been confirmed since leaving, my traffic didn't drop at all (and has actually increased) since I left.

5. It's all about attention...
     My primary reason for blogging is for my own enjoyment (coming in a close second is connecting with people). When I wrote something on facebook, I was looking for the world to respond to me, for attention. And I don't like being that way.

6. People from high school creeps on you....
     I know, I could have just ignored their friend requests, but I just accepted anyways (this probably plays into #5). And I'm not talking about the people that I was friends with in high school, but haven't seen much since, that isn't really creepy. No, no, I'm talking about the people I likely never talked to in high school, but somehow became "facebook friends" with (still, never communicating with one another at all).

7. It was addictive...
    This sort of goes with #3. Every time I would open my laptop, even if I intended to go on for a very clear purpose and then get off right after, I would open Safari, click on my facebook bookmark and scroll through. Sometimes I would forget altogether what I meant to do, other times I would snap out of it, shut my computer, only to realize that I didn't accomplish what I meant to.

8. Privacy, etc....
    I've heard so many weird things about the way facebook handles information. I'd rather not be involved at all. (Funny sidenote: I ended up logging back into facebook through another website after deactivating my account. I didn't really realize what had happened, but received an email saying my account had been reactivated. I went to deactivate it again and saw that everything was as it was when I left... so apparently they save your information... forever?)

9. The guilt trip...
     If you've never tried to leave facebook, you should try right now. First of all, it's difficult to find the link that allows you to start the deactivation process. But better yet, when you find it they show you photos of you and your facebook friends and say "So and so is going to miss you!" Seriously? Facebook is guilt tripping me?

10. Nothing actually changes...
     Leaving facebook feels like a big decision (at least for us young people who use it a lot), but when you finally deactivate your account you find that it changes nothing about real life at all!

PS - linking up with Miss Mommy

6 wonderful comments:

Dionne said...

Well done! It's hard for me to make the cut, but I applaud those who can. I am an Australian living in TX and it's the best way for me to keep in touch with friends and see what they're up to. But for those who don't have long-distance relationships to maintain, I think it's great when they quit FB to keep more meaningful friendships. Love it!

Erica @ Acire Adventures said...

Thanks, Dionne! I have some long-distance friends (though not long distance like yours!) and I realized that we didn't really interact a lot of facebook, just checked out each other's stuff silently. I know that everyone uses it differently, though, and what was a waste for me is probably useful to many others. :)

Ivan and Jessica Reina said...

Jessica and I have been off Facebook for a few months too and it feels great. That website is such a time waster, I'm glad we weren't the only ones that thought of it that way. Good for you Erica

Erica @ Acire Adventures said...

It's so true, Ivan! It's nice to get off and stop wasting time on there, I don't miss it at all either. :)

Anonymous said...

You're absolutely right!

Erika said...

Facebook does have this weird addictive pull on you. I was a fb holdout for years and finally created an account. I deleted it totally after just a few months!