-Response+Feb+2nd

=How Does Social Media Impact My Life???= Response #3

“You don’t have a Facebook?! Are you serious? No, you’re lying.” People look at me in disbelief, jaws dropped, when they hear that there is no Facebook page claimed by me. They make it sound like I have no arms or worse, no soul. I can tell you one thing though; living without Facebook is nice and not so stressful. There was a time that I joined the Facebook craze, and turned into I might say ‘Facebook addict.’

It started in the summer of 2008. I previously believed that Facebook was a dumb waste of time. But then, I had my first boyfriend who convinced me that our relationship wasn’t official until I had Facebook. For some crazy reason I joined, I wanted it to be official after all…and then it happened.

I turned into an evil Facebook spy.

I read my boyfriend’s wall, all of it. I looked at the pictures of my old bullies to make sure they weren’t pretty now or had good jobs. I literally went ‘creep crazy’. And this wasn’t just one day. Many hours, days and weeks became spent on Facebook. I started to realize that I had a problem when I panicked that I hadn’t updated my status yet in a day, that my friend request weren’t accepted the same day, and when “the best pictures” of me weren’t liked within the by me ‘appropriate’ timelimit. And then something else happened. I started getting into fights. Fights on Facebook that escaladed from sarcastic or dry humorous comments, or conversations I had with other people.

I thought it could breathe again when I pressed the deactivate button. But I realized I could activate it any time (which happened enough times until I found a permanent option.)

When I permanently deleted my account in 2010, I felt relieved and free. While I now am not updated on my peers parties and comments and opinions, I feel left out sometimes. But I enjoy it more when people speak to me face to face, and I spent significantly more hours outside then behind the computer.

Don’t think Facebook doesn’t affect my life anymore however. Whenever one of my roommates leaves their Facebook unguarded, I turn into the evil Facebook spy. But not for long; just until they come home.