My World Without Facebook: Day 1

So I did it... after going back and forth with the ide I decided to deactivate my Facebook account.  I know I have said this in the past and never went longer then a day.  Consider it my own social media experiment.  Lately I have been having a tough time with our society and how the children of this society are shaping it.  Look around people… there is less and less human interaction.  Through the years I learn about my closest friends’ huge life moments through Facebook.  They lost a parent, get engaged, get divorced, get a new pet, loose a pet, found out they are pregnant, it’s a Boy, It’s a Girl, child broke her arm & needs surgery…. This list goes on and on.  I would like to use the excuse “well I do live 700 miles away from most of besties”… but let’s get real.  The telephone was invented…. I don’t know…..200 years ago.  Unlike the phone that Alexander Graham Bell (I had to google because I only remembered his last name) todays phones can pretty much do everything by wipe our ass or shine our shoes.  One of the original smart phones was the iPhone that Steve Jobs invented about 11 years ago (seems longer then that… I had to google that too).  We are in a world that you can make a phone call anywhere at any time.  On a plane, on a boat, in a car… no matter how near or far (How’s that for my version of a Dr. Seuss poem).  
 
Just the act of deactivating the account was overwhelming.  When you go to the settings to deactivate your “life-line”, you get the third degree.  Why do you want to delete it, you sure you want to delete it, you don’t have to officially delete it, if you delete it you will no longer have connections with your 423 friends including (they conveniently have a handful of thumbnail sized profile pictures of 6 of your “closest” friends), you chose “Other” but didn’t leave an explanation of “Other”.  Somehow through the various questions that you are required to answer you start to question your decision.  They will make it seem like if you delete Facebook you will be sent to a deserted island with nothing or nobody but the clothes on your back. They might-as-well have a large blinking sign come across your screen reading “YOUR SOCIAL LIFE IS OVER”!  Talk about peer pressure.  I felt like my fingers where jumping through a land mind.  As sweat built up on my forehead I clicked the final “Yes… I’m sure” box.  Truthfully my heart started to race.  OMG… WHAT DID I JUST DO?  DID I JUST BOARD UP MY WINDOWS AND DOORS…? I WILL HAVE NOBODY TO TALK TO NOW!  THE WORLD IS GOING TO GO ON WITHOUT ME AND I AM NOT GOING TO KNOW WHATS HAPPENING”
 
With that final click the second phase of deleting Facebook starts.  Should I text all my closest friends and family to let them know that I deleted Facebook? If I don’t… will they even noticed I’m gone?  My guess is that they will not because as much as Facebook keeps us informed of trivial things like what someone’s dinner looks like and where they are while eating it…. We are more out of touch with all those that are important to us.  Our society is so completely out of touch with reality… so no… they will not notice and even if they do… they probably will not reach out to me to find out why.  BTW… this was not a stunt to get attention…. It’s deeper than that.  I’m not that needy.
 
The truth behind my choice has many many layers.  The past year or two I have gotten better at filtering through the BS.  Filtering through the political rants, perfect people, perfect lives, save the abused animals, vaguebookers, outlandish news clippings of what our president did now… this list goes on.  Somehow through all of the filtering…. My “filter” got clogged.  I was no longer able to filter through my news feed anymore.  My emotions started to become a roller coaster and I could no longer navigate through all that I was feeling… anger, jealousy, isolation, helplessness, confusion, sadness, disgust.  For every cute picture or video of someone’s baby, puppy or silly cat video’s there are 3 times more to counter act them.   
 
Now that I am nearly 24 hours in (or out)… I am starting some withdrawal symptoms.  First there is the normal reflex of tapping the Facebook icon.  It’s so instinctual that you don’t even realize you are doing it.  Looking down at my phone swiping left, right, up… but I don’t see the icon.  It’s that Uhhh Duhhh I deleted it moment.  I tried to find a replacement to fill the void.  Instagram maybe?  That works.  Gmail ok.  They were all enough to pacify me today.  So long for today... I need to continue my withdrawals in the comfort of my own bed while munching on cheese doodles and cleaning out my DVR.