Why I Don't "Like" Facebook

I was very productive this Sunday, and made it through the entire day before I even thought about checking facebook. You see, like so many other people I know, it is pretty standard to wake up, check your phone and all social media, and then go about your day. So when I finally signed on and it was almost 9 PM, I was surprised to find I didn't miss it at all. 

I am not the first person to be all "down with facebook," but I thought I would offer my perspective on the subject. I've been on facebook since it was first introduced to colleges when I was an undergrad at Cal. At that point, anyone you ever ran into at a coffee shop became your facebook friend. Just like in The Social Network, "facebook me" became the most popular way of communicating.

In addition to my college friends, now my family, friends, coworkers and losers from high school clog up my newsfeed. You would think that's all well and good, except, do you know how awkward it is to unfriend a family member or coworker? They just don't understand that you truly think they are idiotic and should never have been granted the right to post information online. Thanksgiving gets kind of awkward when your cousin asks you why you aren't facebook friends anymore. 

The high school crowd is another beast entirely. I don't want to see pictures of your house. I don't want to see pictures of your 17th child. I don't want to hear about how much our hometown sucks. I get it, that's why I left. 

At the bottom of all this is me and my life. I don't "like" facebook because it makes it much too easy to compare myself to others. Facebook is a place where people present an idealistic view of themselves. For every picture posted, for every status update, for every check-in to that cool new club, there is fucked up shit that no one wants to talk about. If you end up using facebook to talk about the fucked up shit, people get all hush hush and say that this really isn't the place for this - don't they know what they put on here stays on here FOREVER??

So if you can't get real on facebook without offending the masses, what's the point? If I posted my halloween costume pic a nearly naked photo of myself I would get a ton of "likes," but if I posted about something uncomfortable and emotional, it would go into the void ignored and "disliked." I guess I have a hard time understanding why I should continue to use a social media tool that actually makes me feel kind of bad for unimportant reasons.

Without facebook, I wouldn't need to know a bunch of useless information about people I don't care about. It wouldn't take up space in my head and in my life, and that would make me feel much better. I haven't yet decided if I want to deactivate my account, or do a serious friend list purge. I think if I started over, I could keep up with the people that are really important to me, and I would be able to stomach their annoying updates because I actually want to be friends with them.

Are you a facebook lover or hater? Facebook indifferent? Tell me in the comments!

♥LJ♥