Facebook Free

I decided to start this new year by opting out of Facebook. The other day I cancelled my account. Why I ask myself? Basically, I just became tired of it. I had 100 'friends' but many I had never met in real life and there were only a handful I really social networked with, chatted with, shared things with, mentally clicked with, if you get my drift.

If you don't know people in real life, you don't really get to know them on Facebook either, partly because people only post slices of themselves that they want to be seen (of which I was guilty) . True friendship does not truly endure in the murky world of cyberspace. There is nothing like chatting with someone over coffee and cake, somehow. Also, I just found that Facebook became rather boring after a time, I never enjoyed the games, nor the poking, nor many of the shares, etc.  I felt like a spy at times, a snooper on the life of people I didn't even know. Making comments, getting commented upon (or not), as the case may have been (mostly not!). Also, I decided that I was posting stuff, sometimes daft, for the sake of it, not because any of it meant anything. Just for something to do, I suppose. So, an open diary, for all the wrong reasons.

You can 'like' whatever you want,  talk about what you've been up to, post about your fav. celebs, authors, etc, but what does it mean? I also wonder just how secure it is, and if my info was being sold to marketing companies or what. But the main reason I have opted out is I want to try life without it, I wish to spend more time with real-life friends and family, and instead of Facebooking, I will spend that time painting, reading, with family, going to the movies and breathing fresh, sunlit air, enjoying life in my garden. More time to follow my faith as well. It's actually quite refreshing and I am vowing to stay off. When I think about it, Facebook is rather shallow, a time waster and felt too much like navel-gazing. Those little red markers, had anyone commented etc? I wondered why I cared so much! Too much. After all, I am just an ordinary person, a face in the crowd. I think that is part of the thrall of Facebook - it can make folk feel like celebrities, even when most are not. And isn't this the age of the celebrity, big time?

Nope time go get off. Glad I did. Blogging is the lesser of the two evils, I guess, but is something I spend far less time doing. One post every two weeks, at the most Still nihilistic in a way, I suppose. But blogging is more personal, in my view, more introspective and somewhat deeper. The blogs I follow (mostly NZ based political and Christian ones, I follow because they are both interesting and well penned). FB on the other hand, is light, frothy, fun, but the same, the same, the same!! Over it.

De-Facebooked, forever.

Having deactivated my Facebook acconnt awhile aback now, (not for the first time, though, I'm sorry to say), I am this time around not missing it at all.  Tired of all the inane commenting, by both myself and others, for me, it became a dangerous drug. This sounds over-dramatic, but I was a Facebook freak for far too long.. I have finally realised what a huge time-zapper it can be, and just how empty it is, although sometimes it had its uses. Celebrity pages are the most interesting, but can be static, and often a one-way event. I just don't see the point in having loads of 'friends' who I've never even met, and I'd rather meet the ones I do have face to face over coffee, etc. Does the technical world have to take away everything that was face to face, for real, and in the moment? Nope. Far nicer to see people in the flesh, to see their facial expressions, to have a laugh with them, to enjoy their actual company. I have avowed not to return to the drug of Facebook, and its one New Year's resolution I intend to keep. Also gives me more time for reading books, writing letters, doing art, hanging out with the family, watching movies, cooking, etc, etc, etc. Social networking. I'm over it!

De-Facebooked, and lovin' it

After having a bit of a love affair with Facebook for quite some time, I've decided it's static, very one-way (especially those pages belonging to celebrities or politicians) and a good way to waste a great deal of time. What is the point of having a load of ''friends' whom you have never actually met. and really know nothing about? Also, it's a good trap into writing inane comments, and meaningless garble. Social networking is just not as much fun, nor as real as chatting over a glass of wine, where one can read facial expressions and have a real laugh, right here, right now, hopefully! Real time in real life, spending time with family and friends, how golden is that? As for blogging, now, that's a whole different story...!