Day: August 12, 2012

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Go pack the wagon Mabel

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I killed my Facebook account this morning.

I guess some people would say this is a huge step backwards. As if I’m reverting to some pioneer life and entering an unexplored desert.

I’m thinking it’s more of a step forward.

Like getting through that teenage phase where you’re on the phone for hours and hours with your best buddy or that heart wrenching first love. At the time you can’t believe how important it all is.

Once you’re through the phase you can’t believe how trivial it all was.

Of course Facebook didn’t want to let me deactivate my account without a few questions… “everyone loves social media” 

I answered their questions and went so far as to explain my reasoning in the little box they provided.

I doubt that anyone will ever read what I wrote, but at least I tried to tell them why I wanted to deactivate the account.

It’s nothing personal, I just was getting creeped out by the whole deal. There were a lot of “Friends” that live within 40 minutes of my house that I never see. 

It’s not that we try to get together and our schedules are too hectic…

We don’t even try. No phone calls no casual “how are you?” nothing but the occasional message via Facebook.

This led me to wonder are these people really friends? 

If they are friends and start calling on the phone because they can’t reach me via Facebook then obviously Facebook is having an opposite effect on society than was intended.

If on the other hand I never hear from them again… then they weren’t friends in the first place.

Either answer is acceptable. 

I’ve decided that I really do want a life that’s “real” not some simulation of life and friends on the internet.

So if you want to talk… call me, or email me. 

Just don’t look for me in your Facebook timeline… I’m not there.

Posted on

Have decided that I really want to kill the Facebook account

Facebook do you2

There are a number of reasons for this.

Facebook is a real time suck. I have other things to do besides being entertaining on social media.

I also want to honestly be able to tell any prospective employers that I don’t have a Facebook account. 

I believe it’s seriously creepy that so many employers are using Facebook to essentially do a background check by looking at your friends lists or simply reading your timeline.

The same is true of Twitter, and honestly most other social media.

I have nothing to hide but at the same time I really think social media is getting creepier by the day. I don’t want people examining my life via the small window of what I mention on a social media site. By the same token I don’t want to be judged by the people that I’ve “Friended” or people that I follow.

Should I be judged because I was following a controversial person? Or someone in my timeline who used the “F” word in every other sentence? 

I honestly don’t like that my Internet footprint is getting larger instead of smaller. I prefer that my life remain private and see no need to help someone find me, or provide anyone with enough information to steal my identity.

In this world too many people have too much access to our personal information.

Of course this may all be too late. I may simply be closing the barn door after the horses have run away but I’m going to try to regain some of my privacy and at least the illusion of security.

I’ve written this on Friday, then scheduled it to publish on Sunday. Perhaps The account will be gone by the time you read this.

Of course… I’ll have to clear deleting the account with my Mom…