About 6 1/2 years ago I was involved in a fairly minor skiing accident that resulted in a fairly major skiing injury. Leaving the house became a near impossibility when I could move only a few inches per step, and those steps were slow and painful indeed.
To counteract the loneliness imposed on me by "the four walls", I signed up for Facebook. That allowed me some contact with the outside world! And each year at graduation, newly-former students would send me Friend requests. I'd read that most humans can only keep track of about 150 people or so (interesting that I'm contractually obligated to have up to 165 students), so each year I'd prune my list to keep it at a "manageable" 150. And I've enjoyed seeing how my former students are doing in college and beyond.
There have been some big changes in Facebook over the past 6 1/2 years, though. The level of vitriol increased exponentially. The negativity and partisanship, which I admit I sometimes participated in, grew worse. Facebook's clout increased so much that it became a player in presidential elections!
That's not what I joined Facebook for. It wasn't "social" anymore. It had transitioned from a net positive to a net negative in my life.
So what did I do? A few days ago I shut down my profile. I deleted the app from my phone. I ditched Facebook.
And you know what? The sun still rises. The birds still sing. Life continues.
At this point I have to wonder what took me so long.
2 comments:
Did you just deactivate it or full on delete it? (I recommend the latter.... there is a difference between the two.)
https://www.facebook.com/help/delete_account?refid=69
I just deactivated it. One never knows when I might need to get in touch with someone, with this the most efficient way.
For me, though, it's still "out of sight, out of mind".
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