Coincidentally, I was having this same conversation with my wife. I mentioned to her that I was considering leaving FB, but I figured the only way I could really do it was by not telling anyone (which failed as I told me wife).
I think its hard to make a statement like this without telling someone, but then you get the backlash of doing it solely for attention. I know that you are not, but there are others that are.
I may join you, someday. At this point, its not a thorn in my side and FB barely gets much of my attention...
You must do what you feel is right, of course. And, having said that, I congratulate you for your resolve to give up a bad habit. My own resolution has been to spend as little time as possible on FB. Were it not for a precious few "friends" with which I have no other contact, I would joyfully abandon anti-social networking.
Good for you. I tried Facebook, and old school friends did pop up there. It was nice to get in touch, but then again, we could easily have googled each other before if we really wanted to strike up a friendship again. As my "friends" multiplied, there was less and less that I could say publicly to all these different people and that would be interesting and appropriate. So I quit. However, I have created a false FB identity so that I can occasionally see groups, photos, etc. that sound like they are actually interesting. I have no "friends" and don't want any!
I gave it up long ago and don't miss it one bit. I have a fan page for my blog that gets updated for me. I hate it, personally, as a company, as a phenomenon, as a whole, for all of the reasons you wrote about. Zuckerberg's mentally that everything should be shared is the anthem of our current age and I flat-out disagree with it.
It is what it is. I take it for that. I joined it for work (a charity) but I don't work there anymore, so the reasons diminish. I culled my 'friend' list to 100 just after Xmas - in sympathy critical with the (UK)government spending cuts. There are people I have struck up some kind of reconnection with who wouldn't have found me as easily otherwise - or I them. Two things to be thankful for: 1] You won't be missed 2] You won't miss it.
I pretty much just stopped showing up. We get suckered into these things, thinking how *awesome* it will be to re-connect with all these people from our past, but then find out we have very little to say about them, and were never really that connected to them anyway. I use it mostly to keep track of a few IRL groups that schedule meetings on FB.
I agree with everyone; I have a Facebook account that I rarely use as well, and I check the news feed a couple of times a week just for kicks. I hardly post anything, except a thank-you for birthday wishes (happens every year, and I know they wouldn't remember otherwise!). But for the most part, everyone I joined Facebook to connect with just isn't very active anymore, not that I blame them - too many "friends" and not enough friends. I live quite far from where I grew up, so it is useful for "stalking" all those people I went to high school with... and I'm fine with them also knowing what I'm up to, although we don't directly communicate. I rarely find myself actually being on Facebook enough that it's a time waster, so... it's pretty innocuous for the moment, at least for me.
Dude, you're so missing out. For example, here's a response to someone speculating about the coincidence of their baby teething and their own tooth ache. And I quote:
"No, his teething is stressing you out so you're grinding yours in your sleep at night. Also, I find my wisdom teeth have a little growth spurt once a month before my period - hormonal I think x"
I will never give up Facebook when I read stuff like that... kill me.
It seems there's a lot of lo-level discomfort or discontent with the old Facebook! To be honest, I'd quit once before, but then had to get back on for work (no, really!) to administer their channel.
Like Adwoa mentioned - in the end I only found it useful for birthday reminders.
Something I noticed is that all these channels stay open in your brain/awareness - even when you're away from the screen. Late at night, giddily awake, the brain is still thinking Check, Check, Check updates and emails and status etc etc. The chatter channel stays open. And I'm trying to close off all that extraneous noise; controlling what passes the old conscious barrier. Quality control...
Just got off the FB carousel, and can't say I miss it at all. FB is just a huge data farm, and we're not the farmers, no, not even while we're tending our pretend crops on Farmville. I prefer to be around my real life friends in, well, real life.
Coincidentally, I was having this same conversation with my wife. I mentioned to her that I was considering leaving FB, but I figured the only way I could really do it was by not telling anyone (which failed as I told me wife).
ReplyDeleteI think its hard to make a statement like this without telling someone, but then you get the backlash of doing it solely for attention. I know that you are not, but there are others that are.
I may join you, someday. At this point, its not a thorn in my side and FB barely gets much of my attention...
You must do what you feel is right, of course. And, having said that, I congratulate you for your resolve to give up a bad habit. My own resolution has been to spend as little time as possible on FB. Were it not for a precious few "friends" with which I have no other contact, I would joyfully abandon anti-social networking.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant! You just articulated (far better than I) why I got the hell off that thing. It's just clutter. Empty, nefarious clutter.
ReplyDeleteTerrific post, Reens.
x
Good for you. I tried Facebook, and old school friends did pop up there. It was nice to get in touch, but then again, we could easily have googled each other before if we really wanted to strike up a friendship again. As my "friends" multiplied, there was less and less that I could say publicly to all these different people and that would be interesting and appropriate. So I quit. However, I have created a false FB identity so that I can occasionally see groups, photos, etc. that sound like they are actually interesting. I have no "friends" and don't want any!
ReplyDeleteI gave it up long ago and don't miss it one bit. I have a fan page for my blog that gets updated for me. I hate it, personally, as a company, as a phenomenon, as a whole, for all of the reasons you wrote about. Zuckerberg's mentally that everything should be shared is the anthem of our current age and I flat-out disagree with it.
ReplyDeleteProps!
ReplyDeleteIt is what it is. I take it for that. I joined it for work (a charity) but I don't work there anymore, so the reasons diminish. I culled my 'friend' list to 100 just after Xmas - in sympathy critical with the (UK)government spending cuts. There are people I have struck up some kind of reconnection with who wouldn't have found me as easily otherwise - or I them. Two things to be thankful for: 1] You won't be missed 2] You won't miss it.
I pretty much just stopped showing up. We get suckered into these things, thinking how *awesome* it will be to re-connect with all these people from our past, but then find out we have very little to say about them, and were never really that connected to them anyway.
ReplyDeleteI use it mostly to keep track of a few IRL groups that schedule meetings on FB.
I agree with everyone; I have a Facebook account that I rarely use as well, and I check the news feed a couple of times a week just for kicks. I hardly post anything, except a thank-you for birthday wishes (happens every year, and I know they wouldn't remember otherwise!). But for the most part, everyone I joined Facebook to connect with just isn't very active anymore, not that I blame them - too many "friends" and not enough friends. I live quite far from where I grew up, so it is useful for "stalking" all those people I went to high school with... and I'm fine with them also knowing what I'm up to, although we don't directly communicate. I rarely find myself actually being on Facebook enough that it's a time waster, so... it's pretty innocuous for the moment, at least for me.
ReplyDeleteDude, you're so missing out. For example, here's a response to someone speculating about the coincidence of their baby teething and their own tooth ache. And I quote:
ReplyDelete"No, his teething is stressing you out so you're grinding yours in your sleep at night. Also, I find my wisdom teeth have a little growth spurt once a month before my period - hormonal I think x"
I will never give up Facebook when I read stuff like that... kill me.
It seems there's a lot of lo-level discomfort or discontent with the old Facebook! To be honest, I'd quit once before, but then had to get back on for work (no, really!) to administer their channel.
ReplyDeleteLike Adwoa mentioned - in the end I only found it useful for birthday reminders.
Something I noticed is that all these channels stay open in your brain/awareness - even when you're away from the screen. Late at night, giddily awake, the brain is still thinking Check, Check, Check updates and emails and status etc etc. The chatter channel stays open. And I'm trying to close off all that extraneous noise; controlling what passes the old conscious barrier. Quality control...
Just got off the FB carousel, and can't say I miss it at all. FB is just a huge data farm, and we're not the farmers, no, not even while we're tending our pretend crops on Farmville. I prefer to be around my real life friends in, well, real life.
ReplyDelete