I know Someone Who Quit Facebook!
It’s True. While Facebook has over 300 million active users and growing and trends indicating that the world is migrating to this online social media metropolis, there may be change in the air. Facebook is really popular with an average user having 130 friends and their lives injected into the daily routine of reading, writing, posting, uploading, commenting and promoting, I just didn’t think my digital circle of friends and family would produce an Orwell rebellion. Who doesn’t love Facebook?
I know someone.
Several weeks ago my wife pulled the plug on her Facebook life. I didn’t notice at first, but when I updated my status with a quote worthy of a maternal comment, there was just silence. No witty comment, no sly humor, just silence. Was she hacked? Was there a misunderstanding? Had she done something by mistake? Nope, she had just quietly disabled herself from the viewable Facebook universe and left behind dust.
Was this the beginning of a larger movement? Had Facebook “jumped the shark” and is Jennifer the start of a trend towards privacy, traditional networking and a “back to basics” methodology?
It turns out no.
After a one week hiatus, she returned. Just like Brokeback Mountain, “I can’t quit you” applies to Facebook, and that “dust” she left behind was actually her account information stored just in case she relapsed from “social networking rehab.” I didn’t ask her why she left Facebook, even if it was brief, but I think she may have just wanted a moment to herself.
But now, like magic, she is back in all her glory, nothing lost and up to her old chirpy self.
Can anyone escape? Sure, there is a deactivate button for those that need to step away for a bit. But when you delete your Facebook account its for real. I can understand the overload that one can have with the posts, tweets, pings and updates but know that staying in touch never hurt anyone.
We may just see Dr. Drew host an episode of SM Rehab with Paris Hilton, Ashton Kutcher, Parez Hilton and the Shaq, I don’t expect to see it anytime soon. Maybe if they throw in sex addiction as a two-fer with SM then we could drum up a crowd. In the meantime, take it with a grain of salt and when someone tags you in a picture from the 80’s dancing on a bar with blond hair that you had forgotten long ago, chalk it up to your creative side in a world without social media
.