Tuesday, May 20, 2008

A Week With No Posts? Wow, I Suck.

I really don't have an excuse for not writing for a week. It's not like I'm busy.

At this moment, I have just deactivated my facebook account. It's not the first time I have done it - last winter I took the plunge, which actually isn't much of a plunge at all, considering you can re-activate it at any time. Which I promptly did within a month, if memory serves correctly.

They really seem used to deactivation at facebook. But there's this "Oh, you'll be back" tone when you start the process. Even if you get past that, they do this salesmen-esque last ditch effort to keep you hooked:

"Confirm Facebook Account Deactivation

Please let us know why you are deactivating. (required)

- I don't feel safe on the site.

You can alter your privacy settings to make sure you are more protected.

- This is temporary. I'll be back.

Remember, you can reactivate at any time by logging in with your email and password. Just so you know, your admin status in any groups or events will not be automatically restored after activation.

- I need to fix something in my account.

We can help you solve almost any problem. Let us know what the issue is and we'll help you fix it.

- I don't find Facebook useful.

You might find Facebook more useful if you connect with more of your friends. Check out our Friend Finder, or search for them.

- I receive too many emails from Facebook.

You can control what email you receive from us here.

- Facebook is resulting in social drama for me.

You can prevent this by learning about how to limit people from accessing your profile.

- I don't understand how to use the site.

You can email us with your questions. We'll respond within 24 hours.

- I have another Facebook account.

- I spend too much time using Facebook.

One way to control your interaction with Facebook is to limit the number of emails you receive from us. You can control what emails you receive here.

- Other"


I'm done with it. Yeah, it's fun to update profile pictures and talk to people you haven't seen in a long time, but I really weighed the pros and cons. On one hand, It's kind of a kick in the balls to people I don't go to school with, but they know my AIM and Cell number. And if you remembered to look here when I suddenly disappeared from facebook, good for you. Maybe I'll write here more often now.

Sometimes I don't like what I do on facebook. Why do I feel more comfortable posting on people's walls than talking to them in person? That's not right. How can I piss away 20 minute chunks cruising profiles of people I see regularly? Time to read a fucking book.

The second component to my rejection of the social network is a good amount of people treat it like a people-trophy collection. I'll get friend invitations from people that NEVER once intract other than that post. What's up with that?!

Now, to wrap this up as soon as possible in an attempt to head off xanga-style postings I so enjoyed mocking in middle school. Think about what you trade away for facebook in comparison to what you get out of it. I'm sure some people have very rewarding experiences and use it as an effective networking tool - I'm just worried too many of us are using it as a social substitute. And I'm looking to ditch that.

Your Facebook account has been deactivated.

To reactivate your account, simply log in as you normally would, and we'll send you a reactivation email.

Come back soon,
The Facebook Team


I'm going to try as hard as I can not to.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Congrats on the plunge. Facebook can be a bit egocentric sometimes (or always).

Your post makes me fear that our generation might be the start of human social skills devolving to be the eventual equivalent of sea sponges.

(idk my bbf jill)