Facebook withdrawal

[1durphul]

On Friday I decided to delete my Facebook account. I've been having withdrawal symptoms ever since. Especially now that I'm at work on Monday. It is weird to read an interesting article and not be able to immediately broadcast to my friends via a status message. Also strange is that Skinner's Box compulsion ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operant_co ... ng_chamber ) to type in Facebook over and over again in a browser. I've done that at least 4 times today.

I've also found it interesting that I don't really know what to do with my smart phone now. I even went so far as to leave it at home because "do I really need this on me now? I'm not waiting for any calls, and don't intend to make one... I can read my ebook on my iPad..."

Anyway, anybody else wanna share their post-Facebook experience?

[Sham]

My only real abstinence happens on the playa. It's a relief knowing that I can't access it while at TTITD. For that reason, I don't even try and simply shut it out of my mind.

[lucky420]

I spend way to much time on there myself, especially when I have down time at work. Hang in there...

[winterdream28]

I try to go on 3 week leaves from Facebook every now and then. My longest was almost two months.
What lead to that long break was that a friend of mine was murdered....if you folks remember the Christopher Doner thing about a year and half now ago,and it hurt so bad seeing "friends" approving of his murdering spree on Facebook.
I value everyones opinions but it was all to soon for me to hang... Facebook turned into a very ugly place.
That break made me realize that I broadcast way to much of my life and my cats life on there as well hah.

Sometimes I fear Facebook has really taken away the value of friendships. It just makes "friendships" way too easy. Every since I got active on Facebook it is as if phone calls do not happen much anymore.
However on the spin of that...Facebook makes staying connected with some of my playa friends much easier due to them being across the world. It has its pluses and positives. But it does feel good to unplug:) Stay strong... it gets easier.

[Sunbeam56]

Facebook is just a different communication tool. I am by nature a (very pretty) wallflower, so
I mostly watch and dont post.
But i find it reassuring to see what other dear ones are doing, skip over the political
Bs, and enjoy the funny videos.
Its a "net" positive for me.

[Captain Goddammit]

I tried it a few times over the years... I just don't like it.
I suppose this board is my "Facebook". There's no withdrawal while on-playa - you're living it! Facebook doesn't have that. It doesn't become real every year.

[Martiansky]

I have the other problem....
Everyone wants me to get a facebook page!
It would be nice if I could try to locate friends who I've lost contact with over the years.
Last year my sister took pictures as we drove to and from Burningman and posted them daily and her FB Friends loved it.
So that was a plus.

[Captain Goddammit]

I've found that tracking down old friends from way back who've faded away is generally a losing proposition. It usually ends up that you drifted apart for a reason.

[Eric]

Part of my job is facebook. Even when I don't want to be on it I'm on it - thank god for TTiTD and my lack of a laptop. Makes a break so much easier.

Though, counter to the Captain, I've discovered it's a great way to keep in touch with old friends. Now when I go back there we hang out in person, and facebook lets us keep track of each-other regularly. Hell, my 80 year old mom uses it to keep in touch with friends she had lost contact with over the years due to moving and such. She loves it.

[unjonharley]

Face book get me a quick message from my kids, grand kids and some very old friend from my teen age years.. Not every day but now and then..

[BBadger]

Staying in touch with friends and coordinating with people is probably the biggest use of FB I have -- though I'll comment on peoples' posts sometimes.

Now if or when people start posting too much shit about their babies, kids, baby showers, or other inane shit that you only care about if it's your own (the occasional exceptional video is fine) , that's when I'll move them to that Acquaintances list so I don't need to see those posts. I'd rather see endless cat videos. Anyway, posting stuff about articles and stupid stuff is what IRC and the Favorite Video thread are for.

Re: Your smartphone: If you buy things at stores, the phone is a great way to compare the prices to see if it's better to just buy something online. That and the maps if I get lost are probably what I use the internet access on the phone for most.

[1durphul]

Sometimes I fear Facebook has really taken away the value of friendships. It just makes "friendships" way too easy. Every since I got active on Facebook it is as if phone calls do not happen much anymore.
However on the spin of that...Facebook makes staying connected with some of my playa friends much easier due to them being across the world. It has its pluses and positives. But it does feel good to unplug:) Stay strong... it gets easier.

That is an interesting way to look at Facebook. I wonder how it would change the experience if I unfriended everybody I want to see regularly in person, and instead only allowed my friends to be people who are far away or in some cohort that isn't immediately accessible...

[1durphul]

I've found that tracking down old friends from way back who've faded away is generally a losing proposition. It usually ends up that you drifted apart for a reason.

Yeah I'd say all the "old friends" that drifted away and I've refriended on Facebook have remained just as distant as they were before I friended them on Facebook.

[1durphul]

Well, here's a timely video:

[media]

[shroom]

I'm addicted, but it's the only way I connect with a lot of friends, family, co workers, and people with organizations I volunteer with. I do try to go 24 hours without every once in a while. At burning man or a cruise, putting the phone up for a week is very nice.

[delle]

I never went to college, so I can't have a facebook account.

No wait. That's changed, hasn't it?



So tell me, sir. Were there "75 essential things to undo" before relinquishing control of all your cyber shit?

[lucky420]

i originally got facebook so that I could keep in contact with my kids who at the time no longer lived in the same town. We talked on the phone alot but fb was just an easy "hey whats up, check this out" kind of thing.

Now my oldest daughter doesnt fb, my son never has and my youngest daughter takes frequent breaks. Im on it way more then they ever are.

With my last nasty exchange with a pissed off bible thumper, it may be time for me to take a break.

maybe

[MyDearFriend]

i originally got facebook so that I could keep in contact with my kids who at the time no longer lived in the same town. We talked on the phone alot but fb was just an easy "hey whats up, check this out" kind of thing.

Now my oldest daughter doesnt fb, my son never has and my youngest daughter takes frequent breaks. Im on it way more then they ever are.

With my last nasty exchange with a pissed off bible thumper, it may be time for me to take a break.

maybe

No!!! I would miss you even MORE omg....

[tatonka]

[geospyder]

I dropped out of FB a couple months back - deleted everything. After a short time frame I opened another account under a different name - if you know me well you can find me. I've only befriended family, the group that I hang with and a couple other people I like following. Great for catching up and not as addictive as it used to be. Check it once in the morning along with a few other forums and my email. I find that I'm checking ePlaya more than FB but maybe it's because of the time of year

[robbidobbs]

I only made a FB profile to do my art. I generally keep focused on that because it's just too much of a billboard, you never know who's paying attention. So I guess I come off as obsessed both there and here. I miss just hanging out here and blathering on at the Bar. My web time is extremely limited, so I have to use my time wisely. There is a large audience on FB, much larger than here. So I use it for practical and single purpose. I'm more comfortable here.

[delle]

Eplaya: The padded toilet seat of the internet

Going to have to think about that one for a minute or two....

[robbidobbs]

I'm good with that.

[1durphul]

I'm closing in on three weeks now. I would say the oddest thing about this experience is that I want to post to my wall about the positive experience of not having Facebook. Part of this is recognizing I no longer have an easy way to tell an audience of friends and acquaintances my thoughts. Perhaps this is a good thing, or perhaps it is a sign that I should just start a blog of some sort.

[Zhust]

I left it cold-turkey a while back. Then I realized that more than half the people I know use it as their exclusive way to announce events. So I got back on, but the bookmark to Facebook is to http://www.facebook.com/events/list so I can see what's going on without the vortex of memes and shit on the "wall".

Also, relatedly:

[media]

[1durphul]

I left it cold-turkey a while back. Then I realized that more than half the people I know use it as their exclusive way to announce events. So I got back on, but the bookmark to Facebook is to http://www.facebook.com/events/list so I can see what's going on without the vortex of memes and shit on the "wall".

Also, relatedly:

[media]

Yeah, the Burning Man camp I'm joining for the first time this year is using a Facebook group for it's main organizing. In that way, the deletion of my account has been a pain in that they only occasionally send emails out with status and info. I'm mostly tempted to reinstate my account just so I can access the group and read project statuses.

[Omitimo]

That is an interesting way to look at Facebook. I wonder how it would change the experience if I unfriended everybody I want to see regularly in person, and instead only allowed my friends to be people who are far away or in some cohort that isn't immediately accessible...[/quote]

^^This is a great Idea!
I think I will try that soon. Most of the people I see regulary go to the same place anyway, I enjoy scrolling and liking and reading the articles that come by. it's a great different way to know people that you have been friends with for awhile but kinda don't have much contact with.
I follow a lot of bands and it kind of keeps track of events that I want to attend.
I don't really post much of anything about my personal life, I like to save that for personal interactions.
Recently, I got into reading peoples edited posts, you can read ALL of the edits they did,
Better yet, you can type all kinds of silly shit, and then edit it yourself to sumthin different and your original coment(s) are there purely for other peoples savvy ways.
This is how I know, I have been spending too much time on Teh FB.
I cannot wait to leave it be for a couple weeks.

[robbidobbs]

It's been a busy few days. Caught myself over checking notifications after the open letter. Today. I feel better now.
My goodness but there is a collection of disgruntled people on FB dissatisfied w the customer service here.
It's not much nicer on FB, just a broader variety of snark from random jerks. We have surgically precise snark.
And we have Moderators, not just a free for all with nuts. Some shit just needs to be flushed. Crimes, we have a reputation to maintain.
Whew, getting flustered. I need to rest a bit on this padded toilet seat. Aaahhh.

[1durphul]

After over a month without Facebook I reinstated my account so that I could participate in pre-burn planning on my camps Facebook group page. At first I found myself very seldomly using it, but by last week it had reached a point where I was checking it constantly. So I have deleted the account again (even though it isn't *really* deleted, you can always restore it by attempting to log in.)

Part of it was my own unease with Facebook becoming party of my daily browsing habits again. The other part was the irritatingly tone-deafness of the real names policy zealotry. Everybody from drag queens on my friend lists, to friends who dared to put their name was "Tom" instead of the never used "Thomas" were forced to put "legal names" that they never actually use. Whatever the case, I'm out. I don't need Facebook. Nobody does. Really.

[Tin Halo]

I deactivated my Facebook account at the end of January. In the months since, I have had almost no withdrawal symptoms. I do wish I could feel that I could be on there occasionally without it becoming a time/energy suck, and stay in touch with some dear old friends, but I sure am getting a lot done and I sure am enjoying being right where I am, and not wrapped up in others' lives.