The Troubles of Facebook

For those of you who ask, I just had to do it. The idea formed months ago, but I didn’t take any action until recently. Nearly three weeks ago, I turned over a new leaf. I did something unheard of – I deleted my Facebook.

The thought surfaced at a dinner party, wherein I noticed friends taking a horrendous amount of photos. Why so many? Was one picture of the group not enough for memories sake? It was clear what was on everyone’s mind. They needed to prove one thing: that they had a life. The constant regrouping, clicking of cameras, and posing with fake smiles seemed utterly ridiculous.

More than this staged life, though, I found problems in the conceited nature of certain individuals. Those who felt the site served as a means for them to “open up” and share their entire lives with their friends. How anyone could post more than ten times a day was beyond me. It seemed like a cry for attention.

The next issue revolved around the utter waste of time that is Facebook. How consumed had I become in the lives of others? I can tell you that I checked Facebook from my iPhone at least ten times a day. I started to wonder how much time was lost in productivity through my time on the site. Could I have spent my time better? Probably so, I thought.

I was reluctant to delete my account, however. I wondered if this “unplugging” would make me feel disconnected from the outside world. On the other hand, the curiosity borne from having a Facebook just seemed strange. Most of my “friends” were people I would never see again, and a few I’d never met. Why should I give a hoot to the happenings in their lives?

I was annoyed that Facebook served simply as a tool to prove that I had something going on in my life. My relationship status should not be determined by how it’s represented on my profile page. Joy shouldn’t come from the number of likes and comments on a post. Photos shouldn’t help to serve as proof that I was out and about in the world. Happiness, in no means, should come from the validation of people I hardly know.

Although I might not have found Facebook worthy of my time, I can understand how others enjoy it. My place is not to judge these people. Instead, I’m simply looking out for what’s in my best interest. For myself, I just couldn’t take it anymore. I had to escape.