The Facebook Test: Part Two

Thank you to everyone who participated in my last post and analyzed how much time they spend on facebook in the comments.

I deactivated my account from February to June of this year. I had always planned on coming back, but I really needed a vacation from social networking.

What is "deactivating"?

It is very close to deleting your account, however, you may come back with all your photos and videos in tact. But to everyone who still has an active account, it will look as if you just disappeared .... or as if you blocked them.

From my humble point-of-view, I can tell what I have perceived as advantages and disadvantages of deactivating.


Advantages


1. Everything you work on improves. I am referring to grades no matter what stage of school you are in, and jobs no matter what stage of management you are in. Your work will improve as long as you choose something productive to do with all the free time.

2. People call you more. When a big event is coming up, you might be the only person the planner actually talks to about it. Everyone else, he or she, contacted through facebook. It makes you feel pretty special. Not only will people call you, but they will see you in person more. When you meet a new person you like, instead of saying, "Facebook me", you will be able to exchange phone numbers at that moment, and at least be able to say, "Text me." That is an improvement, right?

3. You become more self-aware. Self-awareness is a major gift, and it can be learned, if you are willing. Deactivating your account will allow you to see who are your true friends. Some of the people you have written off may be very compatible with you.

4. Sincerity. Calling someone to see how his/her day was is an act of sincerity. Writing it on their wall is automatically less sincere. You may still want to know the answer to your question, but as human beings, it is the effort behind the action that counts. I would prefer one meaningful phone call on my birthday over 45 wall posts saying the same thing.

5. You feel stronger. It does give you a little bit of a superiority complex, depending on how many of your friends are still on facebook. You feel as if you have unbridled willpower. The rarity of your existence might get to your head. More than anything, you are proud of yourself for spotting a potential problem and taking care of it before it can escalate.


Disadvantages


1. Facebook does not want you to go. Once the website finds out that you are serious about deactivating your account, it will show you pictures of the friends you love the most, saying something along the lines of:  "_____ does not want you to leave facebook. Are you sure you want to deactivate your account?" I am so serious. This message made me pause for a good three minutes. It made me wonder, "How does facebook know that I love ____ so much?" After that, I wondered, "Will ____ actually miss me? Will he notice I am gone?"

2. You might accidently log in. For some people, the first thing they do when they reach a computer, is go to google--even if they have no legitimate reason to go there, it has become a programmed response. Others check their email right away. Plenty of us check facebook. That is the first thing you do, even at the public library when the computer is not yours. It is so easy to put in your username and password; your hands have that down in muscle memory. I think it is okay to have programmed responses. For example, we wake up, and then we brush our teeth. That is a good response to waking up. Unfortunately, computer = facebook is not a good response after you have already deactivated your account. Once you log in, you are back, just as if you were never gone.

3. You become more self-aware. Yes, I referred to this as a gift but, you will also begin to notice some facebook addicts who do not have the will to deactivate, and it might annoy you. There is a great deal of loneliness that comes with being self-aware. The world is a different place when you are continuously changing, but your friends are not.

4. The disbelief of your friends, family, and complete strangers. An hour after I deactivated my account, I received a phone call from my mother, asking me why I blocked her on facebook. That is another disadvantage: People might think you specifically blocked them. If you were a previous facebook addict, people will notice when you are gone. After you tell them why you left, the disbelief comes into play. Some will understand, which is always nice. These nice people will automatically call you more and spend time with you in person. They will adjust their lives and their mindset for you. But, there are those who will tease you for it or even look down on you. Many complete strangers excel at this, so beware of them.

5. Birthdays. You will forget when people are born. Facebook made it so easy, not only to remember when they are, but also to acknowledge them and let the specific person know that you remembered--just in case you forget to call later.


Hopefully, this was a helpful article. I am not trying to tell you to stay on facebook or deactivate your account. I will say that my greatest wish is for everyone to become a little more self-aware and a lot less defensive. Those factors go against the very core of human nature, but they can make laugh a lot more meaningful! 




I came back to facebook in June, less boy-crazy and ready to tackle social networking again. However, I had expanded my mind. I remembered that facebook is not the only way to reach people. By July, my blog was created. Now, facebook can be an asset to me in a different way.

If you want to friend me there, click ME or search for Zabrinah Shepherd.


Love,


Zabrinah



Next Up: 5 Reasons Why You Giggle (When Nothing Funny Was Said)


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