Facebook Withdrawal - A Social Experiment - Part 1

This year, on my birthday eve, I deactivated my Facebook account.

I'd been thinking about it for months. I'd been concerned and disillusioned by what I'd been seeing and feeling from the recent posts on Facebook.

It's disheartening to find out that family members have gotten married or given birth - through Facebook. Family deserves more than a PSA.

It's soul-grieving to read posts attacking other people's political or spiritual beliefs. Cruelty is so easy when you have the cover of the internet vs face-to-face or voice-to-voice interaction.

It's misleading to read the wonderful and wild life adventures of singles and married couples, whose Facebook highlights are not always indicative of their actual life. Studies have shown that people are actually dealing with depression based on other people's exciting Facebook posts, as compared to their own humdrum life.

Facebook has become like "The Truman Show." We announce every activity. We follow and stalk people like voyeurs. Validation is gained by how many FB friends you have or how many likes or shares your posts receive.

I'm apparently in a rare category of people who have no idea how many FB friends I have, and rarely notice who is liking my posts.

This year, I've chosen to live life rather than posting about it. I enjoyed an intimate pre-birthday celebration with close friends. Not one of us pulled out a camera or a phone to snap and post pictures on Facebook. We were just enjoying the evening. Later I thought, who would we have been posting for? All the people who weren't invited? That's just cruel.

So, on my birthday eve, before the birthday posts started pouring in from people I only know through Facebook, I decided to deactivate my account and start the year fresh.

Many family members and close friends missed my birthday, because Facebook didn't notify them.

The ones who remembered and reached out, however, made my day. We have a relationship outside of Facebook...and that's refreshing.

In my next blog I'll share the surprising emotional reaction I had from disconnecting from my FB lifeline. Even bad drugs and bad relationships can cause a painful reaction when you finally give them up.

Constantly Thinking...