Which technically defeated the premise and point of this blog.
However, as the point and focus is simply to publish an entry once a week, I shall commence in writing and continue what I started, despite the lapses of entries.
Facebook Delirium: How Badly Do You Want It?
Recently, I've just deleted my first and only Facebook Account that held 400+ friends, 0 applications and a couple of entries on poems, blog entries and my personal favourite, my history of status messages.
My turning point was staring at my Facebook personal page and waiting for people to comment on my photos or greet me with anything. I would type in status messages that was supposed to catch attention, or inspire thoughtful conversations. For a while it worked how I visualized it to. Definitely I was amazed by how far and fast Facebook could connect you to people.
Without even trying to talk to them up close, checking their profiles seem to be enough to tell you how they are at the moment.
And the same way could they identify with me.
I understand how creative and resourceful the mechanics of Facebook could be, but as the weeks pass by, I get the feeling that I was starting a habit that was bound to push thru if I didn't put a stop to it.
The question was, is it a bad habit, or a good one?
The nature of Facebook on the first place is most obviously understood from its welcome page,
'Facebook helps you connect and share with the people in your life.'
With that said, how can anyone not want to get a free account?
I put up an account for myself to share pictures from high school. I thought it was a long overdue responsibility to inform others that I have stolen snapshots of our good times together, and I took several of them that never got a place in any of our school yearbooks. So I finally decided to give it a place in Facebook.
It worked and I was an FB-user for almost a year.
My friends, I noticed, would constantly change their pictures, their stat messages, and update their activities. I was amazed by their snapshots and their fast-paced lives. I was personally motivated to document mine by regularly taking pictures of myself and updating my stat message according to my mood, or to a major activity/project I concerned myself with.
Until I got tired. My life. My current activities. Do they all have to be in Facebook? Because it's become so personal, it became so trendy, it was an Idea to reflect your every-moment or current position in the Internet by the powerful Facebook.
I was aware that other people deleted their accounts 'permanently' due to security reasons.
Although I have my own worries (my account had been hacked and FB asked me to change my password, and ever since I never left my Messages without deleting all traces of correspondence--which were my only FB treasures.)it wasn't really due to security reasons why I deleted it.
It felt like a fun-pressured rat-race. I know it's different for each one of us, but for me, Facebook became a place where you're ought to share something online if you care for your 'cyberspace-identity' or your online-representation.
The truth is that I can hardly keep up with my reality-space life. How much more for a cyberspace, Facebook-empowered identity?
It's still online. Despite the many blessings found in the Internet, let alone Facebook, I find that cyberspace is still a fickle world to trust in.
I still believe in technology however, which is why I rely on e-mails when it comes to online-correspondence or sharing of pictures. As for getting in-touch with my friends, texting is next to breathing here in the Philippines, and that comforted me at the thought of losing my FB account.
I may not be able to use all the 'cool' applications served in Facebook (which I never partook in on the first place; I always thought it was a waste of time--that I could've been doing more important things--which I did--instead of using them.) or 'connect with friends' the Facebook-way, but one thing's for sure:
Friends are friends, with or without Facebook.
Family is family, with or without Facebook.
However,
Facebook cannot serve its purpose, without the support of the people.
As for all Facebook-users, each has a grateful or special story to tell. I don't contest that. Even I have my own good memories in FB.
But it tires me and I find that it's been eating a lot of my time.
As good and tempting as it can be, I just don't want it any longer.
