What are your reasons for leaving facebook (or never joining in the first place)

I did the unimaginable the other day. I logged in, went into “account settings” (sweating profusely the whole time) and hit the “deactivate account button”. I immediately jolted back out of my chair, awaiting all electronics to fail, the clocks to stand still, the sky to fall and the hellfire to consume the world entirely. To my surprise… nothing happened.

I deactivated my Facebook account for a number of reasons (which I’ll list). I’m just curious to hear the input from others; any stories leading up to why you left or also any reasons for keeping it. Mostly just to clear up any misconception.

- It’s become another popularity contest. You really have 2,000 tangible, authentic friends? Really? This is why I don’t miss Myspace. My real friends call me, see me, hang out with me and make an effort/take initiative to keep in contact. All the others are just imaginary. I have a number, a pair of ears and a mouth and while they’re all still working, I’d prefer to use them.

- It isn’t twitter. No, it’s an even better twitter. Not only do your family, friends, co-workers, friends-of-friends, neighbors and potential burglars know what you’re doing and when you’re doing it, but they have all of the photographic evidence they need to confirm their suspicions. In my situation, it was to the point where people knew what I was going to do before I actually did it, without me even mentioning my plans in my status!

- It’s time consuming. Why? Why? I don’t understand why (though I’m not proud to admit) I’ve sat there for hours going through pictures of friends of friends of friends of friends and sometimes even completely random people instead of studying for exams, writing papers or even just simply reading books. More often than not, I’ve found more useless information on Facebook than I’ve ever found (with effort, even) anywhere else. Why??

- It’s a poor excuse for communication. I said it. The only “happy birthday’s” I remember are the one’s that I either get in person or by phone (or by cards in the mail, that takes some effort). I find Facebook to be just a lazy way of checking in on family, friends and other people we supposedly care about. “Facebooking” your family members or friends over facebook isn’t “keeping in touch”, it’s what’s keeping everyone apart. Calling/writing each other and engaging in interaction is what we as a society are really starting to lose touch with.

- Drama. Need more be said?

Sorry for the length —As Facebook being as big as it is (there’s a fucking movie coming out reflecting the story of how it all started), I have a lot to say about it and it seems most people do. If you don’t already have an account I’m sure you have friends or family that do. So let me hear your stories, thoughts, concerns, comments, likes, dislikes, etc. on this phenomenon.