On Sunday I *deactivated my Facebook account.
Although you might think I jumped on the #deletefacebook bandwagon, it was actually spurred by my recent lack of inspiration and the time I was wasting. At the start of the year I wrote about how I had intentions of “unplugging” and was working towards being ok with deleting profiles that didn’t serve me. I’m not considering getting rid of Instagram or Pinterest or Twitter because I do get some value from each, but I have been on the fence about Facebook.
Whenever I have an idea for a post, I go to my blog and type in the topic in the search bar to see if I’ve written about it before. I’ve been blogging for about 4 years now, so it’s nearly impossible to remember everything I’ve said. While most of my opinions have remained consistent, it is interesting to see how my thoughts may have changed over time.
When I looked up this topic, I found a post from 2014 simply titled “Social Media.” I wrote about how I was a Facebook virgin and how I was trying to figure out Twitter. I said I was not a supporter of widespread social media usage. At the time, I didn’t use social media for my blog (still barely do) and was more interested in seeing people in person and reading to entertain myself.
I think back to my middle and high school days when I would sit for hours with a book and it wasn’t uncommon for me to start and finish one in a single weekend (granted, the books I’ve been reading recently are 700+ pages, but I’m definitely not spending as much time reading). I miss that and I only really have myself to blame for the shift.
Instead, I find myself “catching up” on my social feeds. Even though I am a social media minimalist and don’t follow many people on each platform, I’m still spending time consuming media that isn’t doing a whole lot for me. The place where I really felt like I was wasting my time was Facebook. I’d done multiple friend purges, but I would still scroll through my feed and not be inspired or uplifted or informed.
My main Facebook usage was for blogging groups, but the conversation was generally around getting more Instagram followers and sponsorships…not sure if you’ve noticed, but that’s not much of a focus for me. Facebook is a great place for connecting with others, especially if you are looking to grow your blog into a business, but for me, I would leave the site asking myself “what did I learn that was applicable to me?” and too often the answer was nothing.
Facebook has done a great job of making itself a utility (Ben Thompson has an awesome post on this topic) and certainly had me feeling like I’d be lost if I didn’t have a profile. How would I sign up for other services? How would I know what my friends were up to? How would I know the latest tactics bloggers would be using to get more followers?
But when it comes down to it, simplifying my social presence and leaving Facebook instantly made me feel lighter and will be one less distraction. Plus, if comparison is a challenge for you or social media is a vehicle for validation, it’s not a bad idea to leave. Ask yourself what value you get from each platform and if the answer is “not much,” consider taking a break or deleting altogether.
Have you deleted or considered deleting any of your profiles? Do you feel stuck with certain platforms? I’d love to hear about your experiences!
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