I think I’ve decided to kill my Facebook again.
Yes, I know I’ve talked about it before — actually done it a few times. My Facebook is getting to be like that ex you can never quite stay broken up with. Actually, come to think of it, I’m notorious for that too. Hmm. Maybe not the best analogy. It’s like…
…well, hell, it’s like this annoying thing that everybody seems to think you need but is actually pretty useless. Like kidneys. Do you need those? Like a second kidney then. Apparently it’s not my night for analogies.
The only reason I resurrected my Facebook after euthanizing it the last time was thinking that I should use it for business contacts. Then I remembered that I don’t have any business contacts. Nor do I have a business yet. Since I already had the account back up, I figured I might as well use it — but now it’s finally and completely lost its appeal.
The thing that bothers me the most about Facebook is that it creates the illusion of connectedness. It’s easy to fall into feeling like just being friends on Facebook is enough to qualify as a relationship. Back in the grand old days before Facebook — so the legends go — people actually had to communicate to maintain a friendship. Now we just have to check a box. All you have to do is lob the odd “LOL” at somebody every few months and you’re golden. I know, it’s been said before, but it can’t be overstated: Facebook makes friendship weird.
You know one thing Facebook is good for? Ignoring people. “We don’t need to talk! We’re friends on Facebook! Now please go away.”
So, once again, I’d rather find ways to keep in touch with my friends that actually keeps me in touch with them. That was the biggest thing I noticed during my last foray into de-Facebooking: it forced me to put effort into staying in contact with people. That felt good. Who knows — maybe if I stop using Facebook, I’ll start sending personal messages to people again. Maybe I can bring back hand-written letters.
(Tangent: Do you ever wonder what damage the invention of email has done to the future of biographies? It seems like old biographies always include these super-interesting personal letters that shine a new light on important people. “Biographers uncovered a letter written by Mark Twain to Theodore Roosevelt on the subject of lawn furniture…” What are we going to have now? “Biographers sifting through spam for Mexican Viagra and Photoshopped cat pictures in Justin Bieber’s Gmail trash folder discovered a series of emails…” It’s not quite the same, is it. Alas. Then again, hardly anything would make Justin Bieber’s biography interesting.)
Anyways, I haven’t made a decision yet. Maybe I’ll just keep lugging my stupid Facebook around for another few years, along with my second kidney. At least I finally broke up with that ex.
Stay tuned.
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LOL!