I quit facebook two weeks ago. This was not the first time I do it and I am guilty of making a few people think I blocked them.
My decision came after finding myself checking Facebook every hour, habitually more than anything. A breakup made these few lost minutes on the social network painful. I will not dwell on this, but those who have been through breakups will likely empathize.
Ditching my facebook life also known as facebook detox, has been surprisingly smooth and not so surprisingly, rewarding.
1- More quality time with the ones that matter. I found myself emailing, texting yes texting friends I wanted to hang out with or just check in on. Not knowing what they were up to through Facebook left me with a thirst to reach out. Guess what? The calls lead to meaningful conversations, to drinks, dinners, offline meetings. To illustrate, not having access to my events in Facebook, meant I had to reach out to a friend I had not been in touch with for details about the party. And bam, we were truly reconnected :) I even have my friend from Beirut calling me more often now to get my news since she can't stalk me anymore.
2- Focus on me and what makes me happy. One of my Stanford professors Benoit Monin, published a study that shows that usage of facebook and other social media tools, can make you perceive your life as unhappy. Why? Quoting the article: "Your friends' lives are filled with nonstop weekend barbecues, laughs over happy hour and cute kids who say the darnedest things." "...that people chronically overestimate how happy their peers are, and this misperception leads to feelings of loneliness."
Indeed, this happened to me. I have been able to focus on my activities, my plan for the day, my projects without comparing it to the 1000+ friends' whereabouts and statuses (most commonly used: "another sunday in ____" + photo of blue sky).
I have been journaling and spending time listening to myself instead of others. When was the last time you listened to yourself?
3- Efficiency. This goes without saying that when you are not browsing facebook every so often you probably focus on the task at hand. It is so easy for my mind to wonder from a facebook post, to another city, another state of mind, sometimes another emotion. Not having the option to distract myself, makes my time on computer more efficient.
The downside (or lack of it):
Spotify. Heart breaking, but if you signed up for Spotify in the US you cannot access it without facebook. For those music lovers this could be a deal breaker.
FOMO (fear of missing out for those who did not go to B-schools). You will get over it. You will learn how to enjoy your current activity and listen to yourself and what you need. (and god we learn when we make small changes in our daily life).
The bottom-line:
Taking a break from Facebook, from time to time, believe it or not, won't end your life as you know it. Take this risk and you will see benefits you may not have expected: reconnecting with yourself and others in a meaningful way.
And guess what? You could always go back to the virtual world by simply logging in. Boom nothing is gone. All your info is there and the happiness updates are still scrolling down the newsfeed.
Need a real digital detox? Check out this retreat I am going to next week.
