FOMO is a MOFO

[pshaw_raven]

 Last night I had a text convo with my sister, and among other things she was saying she wanted to ditch Facebook. I haven't logged in for a long time so I don't know how often she or my Mom post, and as I've said here they are the only reason I still maintain the awful thing. Anyway after dinner Fox found a helpful how-to and read the steps to me and I deleted my Facebook. No, they don't make it easy, and yes they ask you a million times if you're sure. It also "can" take thirty days to do. Whatever, BYE FACEBOOK.

Apparently though it helpfully told all my friends I did this! I swear this is like when you used to try to leave a Neopet at the pound. I've been fed up with FB's shit for a long time. I was sick of the stupid memes people repost without thinking, the political wildfires that generate plenty of heat but no light, the barely concealed attempts to keep your attention ON FB constantly. You could log on and see one moronic thing that someone shared that was belittling and bigoted and it would just put a damper on your whole day. So yeah, fuck FB.

I'm also still sort of bitter about how many friends it took away from better platforms. People whose long-form blogging was really great. And in one case that person even died, and I missed out on almost an entire year of friendship with them simply because they were on FB playing Farmville. So again, fuck FB.

Aren't I afraid of missing out on something? What about the private FB groups I'm in? You mean the ones I rarely check in to and haven't posted in for over a year? I'm sure they'll take care of themselves. I am so over the whole experience that I don't have a single, solitary fuck to give anymore. There is literally and entire planet out there - I care a lot more about that.

I know some people are going to want to get in touch, so if you don't already have my email, drop a comment. You can use that to find me on stuff like Google Hangouts, though I'm not always available. I also keep weird hours - I get up pretty early in the morning and go to bed with the chickens Ravens. 

Comments

[expandranon]

I didn't get any notification from Facebook that you'd quit, just one from FB Purity, a sort of mod I use to block Facebook's most egregious violations of common sense and provide a little more functionality. I think that, without it, I'd have had no notice of your departure.

I'm with you there. I only use it to keep in touch with furries, local friends, and my family, and it's just full of junk. I don't help, either, with my habit of occasionally sharing some political meme or other.

[pshaw_raven]

I used to use Social Fixer, but FB was always making changes to render it less useful. But I had this horrifying mental image that All The People got some sort of notice, instead of just allowing you (the Universal You) to bow out quietly.

I guess it's not so much political memes as it is finding out - often to your surprise - which of your friends and family are actually racists or misogynists. And even if it's something you happen to agree with, I think it doesn't exactly help but adds to the polarization we keep seeing. BUT ANYWAY, you already know this. ;D

[we_are_spc]

Yeah, we've had that unpleasant surprise a time or two.

With us, it's...we're not out on FB as multiple, and the more a part of our lives that is, the harder it is to hide.

It just gets too tiring some days.

-Fallon~

[we_are_spc]

Psst...

Plz?

I mean we are on hang outs pretty regularly now because most of our people use that now instead of Skype. So if you want either one of our two accounts (Though one is mainly for people who have no idea we're who we are)...let us know.

(And if you don't have our email, PM us; we'll give it to you. :))

-F~

[pshaw_raven]

I'm going to PM you with my email in case you don't already have it - which I sorta kinda think you do. But it never hurts to resend things.

[dorchadas]

I generally think that the peak of social networking was 2006-07 LJ and everything since then has been downhill, whether due to spying or Nazis or lack of users or whatever.

I still spend a bunch of time on Facebook because it's the best way to keep in touch with my friends around the world, but that's growing less and less true as people abandon it and don't replace it with anything. I perfectly understand, but I still feel the loss, especially compared to the long, thoughtful posts I used to read.

[pshaw_raven]

I tend to agree with you there - though LJ seemed to start getting good in around 2003 or 04, for me, anyway. I'm just not sure why other platforms haven't taken off the same way. Though I think that a lot has to do with each site's personality now. Like Facebook has a very different personality from Tumblr, and Google Plus is mostly just chirping crickets. But anymore it's hard to find long posts outside of Wordpress blogs, unless you're here. I haven't even checked on some of the older LJ clones like DeadJournal.

[zenbaker]

I have despised fb since I opened an account. And I got a reminder today that I have been on it for eight years. And Im still there. FFS.

Still hate it, still on it.

Agree that LJ was the highlight for me - I made some really good friends through it and since that has gone down fb is the platform they have all gone to.

Meh.

[pshaw_raven]

I originally got FB to play The Sims Social with someone, but that fizzled out after about a year. Then I kept it, supposedly, to keep up with family members, and finally started actively loathing the thing earlier this year - up from it merely being a thorn in my side/paw/ass. The only instance in which I've thought it would be good to still have FB is a few nights ago when (long story) I Googled to see if they still have Rasputin's dick preserved in a jar and, lo, they do. There was a whole article about him, photos of the anatomical item in question and everything. Other than that I'm happy to have seen the end of my days on that platform.