Why I Quit Facebook

For someone who is so active in social media (blogging, tweeting), I think people are surprised that I quit my Facebook account (technically deactivated). Maybe, like Twitter, I’ll take a break and return later.  [Unfortunately, I’m sure there are several people out there who think I de-friended them and won’t realize I just quit.]

But, why quit? Isn’t it a great tool for communicating?

I did find it interesting, and there is more and more information out there…BUT

1. It changed how I interacted with people.
2. It sucks up valuable time (and I didn’t even get into Farmville and the other games).
3. I’m an introvert so I’m not sure I care to share that much.

Ultimately, I felt like my relationships online where different than reality. I would categorize them as follows:

1. People who I should talk to offline (e.g., family) but where it became easier to talk via Facebook.
2. Professional friends that I all of a sudden knew more about them then I normally would or needed to.
3. Acquaintances who I all of a sudden kept in touch with on a semi-regular basis.
4. Old friends that I would never talk to without Facebook and where I now was in a constant high school reunion.

It essentially became technology enabled voyeurism. Which might be interesting for a few times but gets old.  Even staying involved with Facebook on an occasional basis uses up time. I would think about saying that I didn’t have 30 minutes to work out when I know I spent 15 minutes online.  Maybe I’m being a little “fuddy-duddy”, but at the end of the day, I have

1. Friends who I want to talk to live (although rarely have the time).
2. Professional friends and acquaintances for which LinkedIn gives me everything I need.
3. High school reunions every 5 years which is plenty.

Facebook essentially reverses the trend of having a smaller and smaller circle of friends as you get older.  You create a body of friends from every era of your life and keep them with you over time.  It’s certainly interesting, but unnecessary in my perspective.