Nik Kantar

Wednesday, December 3, 2014
3 min read

Eight Days without Blue Brother

Brief reflection on a few days without Facebook.

Last week I deactivated my Facebook account.

It wasn't a sudden thing — I'd been thinking about it on and off for at least a few years, and more and more lately. Part of me never really believed I'd actually be able to commit to it, but here we are.

In the days since this — frankly embarrassingly notable — event, I've tried to make a concerted effort and take note of the changes in my life that were more or less directly influenced by it. Here are some initial observations.

Reachability

It doesn't seem like anyone's been desperately and unsuccessfully trying to get in touch with me. I don't know what I expected, but only two people have even noticed my absence. It's looking like communication won't be an issue.

Time

I have more of it.

No, seriously, I know you're already rolling your eyes and thinking "duh", but I was expecting to fill it up with other useless things (e.g., Instagram and Twitter). To some extent I have — I've definitely been more active on both of those as well as Reddit, but the next change has still been in my favor.

I feel like I've had more time to read useful articles (many of which I've found via Twitter, so there!) and think about them, I've spent less time staring at my phone whilst on the throne, and said phone hasn't been bugging me with notifications anywhere near as much as before. On that last note — and hilariously enough — I've noticed a marked improvement in its battery life…

Horizons

This was a noticeable change immediately. Instead of being limited to cars, motorcycles, cats, CrossFit, and liberal politics, I now get a lot more technology and business content in as well. While it may not seem like much, I'd argue that either of those two is far more productive and valuable in the long-term than all of the former five combined.

Mood

This one is probably a bit early to call, but I think it's fair to say I've been annoyed less lately. Yes, far fewer people have interacted with me, but the sentiment is still valid. Fewer people = fewer assholes.

Now What?

Well, I don't miss it.

Twitter supplies me with plenty of third-party content, and the overall quality is better. Instagram provides me with a place to post my photos, and the interaction there is far more pleasant in general. And, as I already mentioned, there appears to be no issue with people trying to reach me.

I'm not going to fully delete the account just yet, but the big moment isn't far off.


Tags: personal

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