We are the Facebook Generation. Remember the time when you would mark a friend’s birthday on your calendar? Or when you would call your friends or send out cute little invitations in the mail to tell them about your birthday party? We have certainly kissed that good-bye! Now we find out about birthdays on Facebook and receive event invites with perfectly-thought out, clever descriptions instantly. Trust me, I love my Facebook! But haven’t you ever thought of going back to a world without it? I’ve come up with six reasons why we all should consider this digital detox.
1. It’s a distraction! Let’s be real, we all know when you’re studying, you hop on Facebook “just for a minute” and suddenly waste an hour of valuable study time. On what? Most of us can’t even say what exactly we were looking at. We just keep our mind occupied looking at pictures and posts because we know we’d rather be doing that than studying! Fewer hours spent studying means more hours spent having fun! Imagine that.
2. You’ll have more time for other, more important things. Like I said before, less time on Facebook equals more time with friends and activities that will actually provide some sort of enrichment to your life. You’ll finally have time to go to that pilates class you’ve always wanted to go to. Or you can get in that nap you’ve needed all day. You can spend your nights out at Midtown or seeing a movie with your friends, rather than snuggled up in Library West (where I bet you’ll still be Facebook stalking)! I dare you delete your Facebook. Then you’ll thank me for how much more fun you’re having!
3. It can cause you to look down on yourself. Studies show Facebook is often linked to depression. While you may have hundreds of thousands of Facebook friends, you aren’t really connecting. Posts you see on other’s pages (such as a new girlfriend writing on your ex-boyfriend’s Facebook) can also cause you to feel down. After a falling out with a friend, seeing her negative Facebook statuses or posts about you could make you feel unimportant or small. By deleting your Facebook, you’re avoiding all of those negative feelings. You’ll feel a huge weight lifted off of your shoulders!
4. You can’t really delete anything. You know those funny photos you decided to post after a fun night out when you were in a slightly altered state of mind? Remember when you were applying for an internship, or a job, and you deleted them? …Yeah, they’re not really deleted. They’re out there, floating around in the Facebook atmosphere. But really, they’re not deleted. They’re still on Facebook’s server, and anyone with the URL can access it. Scary right? Deleting your Facbeook won’t necessarily delete the photos, but at least your potential boss will see you won’t have an account and won’t bother snooping. And if you don’t have a Facebook, you won’t post those inappropriate pictures in the first place! Everyone says it, but it’s true. They WILL come back to haunt you in the future.
5. You’re more available to stalkers and cyberbullies. We all think we’re invincible, but the fact of the matter is, we’re not. You think your simple check-in at Satchel’s Pizza or 101 Cantina is simply telling your friends where you are. What you don’t realize is you’re telling EVERYONE where you are. So that creepy guy in your psychology class who wants to know where you are… well, you’ve just made it that much easier for him. Not only that, Facebook provides people with an easy way to anonymously harass you. Facebook is generally a danger. This past year, one of my friends deleted her Facebook because someone had taken all of her photos and information and used them to create an online dating profile. How violating is that?
6. Drama, drama, drama! Facebook is the ultimate drama-starter. Oh my gosh, your best friend changed her profile picture to one of her and your frenemy? Wait, your boyfriend wrote on HER wall? Your best guy friend checked in to a restaurant with HER? Is she REALLY hanging out with him? You see, Facebook is just a way for everyone to get into everyone else’s business, and ultimately cause drama. I mean really, what’s the point? Stay out of the fire by simply deleting your Facebook… you’ll feel drama-free!
Feeling inspired to take a digital detox? Go ahead, begin your fresh start! With more time for fun, less negativity, and no place for inappropriate photos to pop up, it’s no wonder why we all haven’t deleted it already.
Sources:
http://gizmodo.com/5882703/your-deleted-facebook-photos-still-arent-really-deleted
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2196691/Facebook-addicts-likely-women–genes.html