The summer of no Facebook

9.15.08

When I got back from Greece, I deleted my Facebook account for many reasons, none of which anyone needs to know. I spent June, July, and August in the wake of my Facebook’s death, which ended up being more of a mercy killing than anything else.
After the initial withdrawal symptoms had passed—what do I do after checking my email?—I found out how bound I had been to Facebook and its evils. Checking up on my “friends” without actually having to interact with them had become my modus operandi, and without Facebook, I found myself having very little interaction with anyone. The deletion of Facebook became complete social absconding for a summer.
I heard from one friend, two or three times, over the course of the summer. Even that was via email.
When I got back on Facebook when school started, there was a flood of messages asking where I’d been, what had happened to me, and why I was back. It was like I’d gone away to boarding school after a scandal. In reality, I’d been at home, working, doing everything I would naturally do.
Of course, now that I’m back on, I have slipped back into my old habits. Why call someone when you can write on their wall? Why go to lunch when you can use the chat option? We’ve become so interconnected that we can’t truly connect with anyone.
Not having Facebook was one of the best choices I made this summer, though. There was no one to barrage me with questions about my breakup—I didn’t have to try to explain a situation that I did not understand to people who really had no right asking. With no Facebook, there was no duty to keep “in touch” with people—mostly people I didn’t want to be friends with anyway, like my old group from high school. No Facebook meant an excuse from all means of interaction, which is both scary and pathetic.
Deleting Facebook became a segue to other, more meaningful changes. I stopped checking my email so much, and my computer actually had a chance to collect some dust. When I really needed to say something to someone, I called them. I spent most of my time outside with my dog, not inside downloading music, Facebooking, or playing solitaire. Now that Facebook has weaseled its way back into my daily routine, I find myself fighting the urge to immediately reply to posts or messages. Usually, I lose that inner struggle, but the fact that the struggle exists is a step in the right direction.