Returned to Facebook. Leaving again.

I spent the last 5 weeks of 2013 off of Facebook. I didn't deactivate it, I didn't unfriend everyone, I just logged out. And in the two months that I've been back on, I have a new appreciation for how much better off I was without it. Sure it was great to have Facebook Message as a way of keeping in touch with people although I prefer gchat or (I know I'm a dinosaur) hand written letters. There are many conversations with friends both near and far that are sustained through this medium. And I also find myself more often getting news about the world from Facebook. Plus I'm able to keep up with what's going on with friends and even just for wishing people a happy birthday. So yes, Facebook has its perks but not being on it was unremarkable. If anything I was used to having to explain my ongoing battle with technology since I am regularly questioned about not having a smartphone.

The issue is that so many people do use it as a forum for contact and so to disappear from Facebook meant that some of the less stable relationships I have with people are now just fringe relationships. Granted, if I need to be on Facebook to maintain any relationship, well that's actually not a relationship I consider worth working on. But at the same time I have always been the person who tries to keep in touch, if a person has touched my life in some way then he/she is forever of significance to me.

I doubt I'll ever go off of Facebook for such a long stretch of time in the near future. But I'm going to occasionally do purges because I found it to be a grounding experience despite having to explain it to everyone. Honestly, part of why I won't do it for weeks at a time again is because it was really annoying when I suddenly started receiving e-mails from Facebook every third day telling me what I was "missing" such as messages, notifications, and status updates. I remarked to one friend that it was like having a needy ex, I was taken for granted while I was just there but then a few days later once Facebook realized I was serious about taking a break it was all "...but I love you. Come back to me."

For now I'm going to take my smartphone-less self off Facebook again, only for a week this time. I'm lacking almost all technological devices so I'll still - unfortunately - be logged on everywhere but oh well, I'll just ignore it. See y'all in a week!