Admin_2 Posted January 10, 2012 Report Share Posted January 10, 2012 This could be "Quitting Facebook," or just "Taking a Break From Facebook." Regardless, here is my pathetic story. I knew this before, but recently it really hit me. I'm addicted to Facebook. I probably check it at least 30 times a day. A lot of it is spent checking up on the statuses of those I couldn't give two shits about to see if things changed enough for me to give one or maybe even three shits about them. Every time I'm disappointed. Still, I check everyday. Occasionally I get a good laugh from a video, or a smile from a heartwarming Facebook announcement about a doomed relationship finally ending. Other than that, it's all about me keeping a record of my life and making connections. Timeline makes a good attempt at reviewing points in your life, but it falls short. My blog here is really the only thing that takes me down memory lane. Anyway, I decided a few days ago that I needed to take a break from Facebook and made good on my promise. I deleted it from my bookmarks and deleted the app from my phone. I can't explain how free I feel (pretty pathetic, huh?). It's literally like the feeling I got a couple of weeks after I quit smoking, but this time it was instant. A lot of this decision stems from my (growing) family and my work. A lot also has to do with me cutting some of my thais to Tieland. Thailand has that "me me me" mentality that you have to let into yourself even if you despise it. I certainly got sucked in, and I think it's necessary to do to keep your head above water (pun intended). I've a lot more to say on the subject, but I'll let it all simmer for now. I know I'll never be able to truly quit Facebook for the time being, but I'm hoping that this break will help me to at least cut down my Facebook use to a reasonable level. Have you ever considered quitting or taking a break from Facebook? If not, why not? If so, what's stopping you? :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarangFarang Posted January 10, 2012 Report Share Posted January 10, 2012 FB is always the first thing I give up when I don't have much time. I really don't spent a lot of time on there anyway. Maybe once or twice a day I check statuses for 10 or 20 min or I might "Check In" just for the heck of it but I really don't use it for much more than that. Part of my dislike is the "me me me" attitude you're talking about. How many times do I have to see a photo of what you just ate? And even worse is your same 15 friends who have to comment on what you've eaten with everybody coming to eventual agreement that it looks "arroy mak mak". I actually have a post that is about 90% written about my dislike of Facebook that I intend to post on my poker blog. In fact, here's a quote from that unpublished blog post that sums it up pretty well. Facebook is a window into the parts of my friends' lives that I don't want to know about. I remember when I first began using MySpace, my first impression was that I had no idea how many of my friends had absolutely zero aesthetic taste whatsoever. When MySpace allowed people to customize their profile pages it really became a peek into people's psyche. Flashing backgrounds, blinking this, flashing that, five different song tracks all set to auto-play on load, etc. Half of the MySpace profile pages should have come with a warning that they may cause epileptic seizures. Yet, my friends, business contacts, and people I knew went out of their way to create this abomination. The point I end up driving towards is that Facebook tends to showcase what kind of person you really are. Often without you even realizing what you're telling other people about yourself. In other words, Facebook is a lot like cocaine in this joke by Bill Cosby: I said to a guy, I said, "Tell me, what is it about cocaine that makes it so wonderful?", and he said, "Well, it intensifies your personality." I said, "Yes, but what if you're an asshole?"All of the narcissists, attention whores, racists, etc showcase their character flaws for the world to see. Whereas if you start posting crazy stuff on TF's blogs or forums, people will call you out on it and give you a good debate. On Facebook many people carefully pick their list of friends to include only people who will support them and overlook their deficiencies. Sort of like a movie star who is surrounded by agents, publicists, assistants, and an entourage that only tells them things they want to hear. I actually prefer technologies like Twitter because it's based of a different relationship model. There are a lot of people I "Friend" on Facebook that I would never "Follow" on Twitter. For instance, on Twitter, I "Follow" 152 people but I have 1421 people following me. That means that at the moment there are 152 people that have demonstrated that the information that they share is valuable enough to me that I want to hear it. But what I say is deemed valuable enough that 1421 people have chosen to hear what I say. In order to increase your audience size (the number of people following you) on Twitter you need to provide updates, information, etc that other people value. Facebook just encourages mass-friending everyone whether or not you want to hear what's on their mind. If we met for 20 minutes last Friday then you have to accept my friend request or you're rude. But if you follow me on Twitter and I don't follow you back there's less social pressure. I can look at your last 50 or so tweets and if what you're talking about is not of interest to me I have no obligation to follow you back. So don't feel bad if you take a break from FB. Concentrate on what's important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin_2 Posted January 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 I can't say I feel bad about quitting facebook. I actually feel bad that I couldn't lower my usage on my own without completely abandoning the thing first. There is self-control, and then there is self-exclusion. I wish I had the ability to do both. It's amazing how much I've missed out on since I've been away. I feel like I need to learn 8 years of how the western world has evolved since I've been gone! Yet I was sitting in front of my computer checking facebook instead of learning about a bunch of cool shit. I still waste time online, but far less. It's only been a few days, but it's a great feeling not having facebook cross my mind every 20 minutes (it also helps to be working on an awesome project). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetieBabie Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koolbreez Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 This is like the addict that quit cold turkey because he threw the needle away, but kept the dealer's phone number....lolololol. Delete your account so everyone knows what you did rather than letting them think your computer went down. Show them you are really in control, and can in fact quit by deleting your account....hahahahahaha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarangFarang Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 I can't say I feel bad about quitting facebook. I actually feel bad that I couldn't lower my usage on my own without completely abandoning the thing first. There is self-control, and then there is self-exclusion. I wish I had the ability to do both.It's amazing how much I've missed out on since I've been away. I feel like I need to learn 8 years of how the western world has evolved since I've been gone! Yet I was sitting in front of my computer checking facebook instead of learning about a bunch of cool shit. I still waste time online, but far less. It's only been a few days, but it's a great feeling not having facebook cross my mind every 20 minutes (it also helps to be working on an awesome project). I think that's the lure of it. It makes you think that you're on top of stuff because you're connecting with all these people and they're sharing all of this stuff. But then you realize that most of the people you're following are idiots and most of what's being shared is mindless pop-culture crap. Unlike Koolbreez's suggestion, I don't think you need to delete your account. Obviously you want to stay in touch with family and friends. What you need is to fill up the rest of your life with worthwhile pursuits so that FB (or even TF) become a compliment to your life rather than running it. Like for FB, I tend to just review it once or twice a day. I just run through, read updates from people I actually give a shit about, and make some stupid comments on people's updates. And then I leave it alone. I might check back if I've initiated a conversation but other than that I'm off FB for 12 - 24 hours. Rinse, wash, repeat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin_2 Posted January 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 This is like the addict that quit cold turkey because he threw the needle away, but kept the dealer's phone number....lolololol.Delete your account so everyone knows what you did rather than letting them think your computer went down. Show them you are really in control, and can in fact quit by deleting your account....hahahahahaha. That's not really it. I'm not quitting facebook. I made a post on fb saying that I was taking a break, not quitting. I don't think I'd want to quit, because as Bill said, there is some value in having a facebook account. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey1967 Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 This is quite interesting post you start here. Thanks to Bill to open my eyes for something I look over. I did not realized about what you had said Part of my dislike is the "me me me" attitude you're talking about. How many times do I have to see a photo of what you just ate? And even worse is your same 15 friends who have to comment on what you've eaten with everybody coming to eventual agreement that it looks "arroy mak mak". When you go out for a dinner, had you ever look at the next table with their reaction when the food is served? Most of the time people take a photo of their food (me too sometimes) so that they can post to fb and let the world know what they (or me) just ate. There are many times I asked myself why do people have to care what I just ate? That is silly eh! Now, let's talk about this The point I end up driving towards is that Facebook tends to showcase what kind of person you really are. Often without you even realizing what you're telling other people about yourself. That is yeabsolutely true again! My question is, I post so many dirty joke on my wall lately. Just to make people laugh. Does it mean I am naughty? LoL These day, I just be on my fb to read my astrology. I am kinda crazy about it. Then the rest of the time it gives me opportunity to chat with some close friends as I feel that people are no longer on their yahoo or msn. But as I get a job now. I do not think I will be on my fb often. Maybe just when I return home from work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigKus Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 (edited) I cant leave Facebook, and will never ever leave it, quit it. Why? Because I could miss all the movements on earth. Last week, I left my mobile phone at home, I was so worried if anyone in my contacts would call me, and no answer from me might get them worried and concern where I would be, why don’t I pick up the phone calls, was I in trouble? After work that day, I directly headed home, skipped all activity arrangement after work imagine there would have at least 5 serious missed calls! I was totally wrong and, honestly, a bit disappointed, there had only one missed call from myself called checking if I were really left it at home or just drop somewhere in my desk drawers. But when I got online check Facebook, there had 2 messages and 5 comments. See? Nowaday people don’t make the phone call anymore. They go to Facebook!! Oh.. or am I just an uncontactive person.. ? ( Edited January 13, 2012 by bigKus Self-confused (can't edit at the mo) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarangFarang Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 This is quite interesting post you start here. Thanks to Bill to open my eyes for something I look over.I did not realized about what you had said When you go out for a dinner, had you ever look at the next table with their reaction when the food is served? Most of the time people take a photo of their food (me too sometimes) so that they can post to fb and let the world know what they (or me) just ate. There are many times I asked myself why do people have to care what I just ate? That is silly eh! It's one thing if you are eating something totally new. Sort of like, "Hey, I was in Thailand on my holiday and check out this yummy green curry." But when you look through your Facebook gallery and it's food, food, food, food, food, food, food, picture of your dog, food, food, food, food, a picture of you eating food, food, food, . . . well, that's kind of crazy :-) Yes, everybody eats. No need to take a picture of every meal. Now, let's talk about this That is yeabsolutely true again! My question is, I post so many dirty joke on my wall lately. Just to make people laugh. Does it mean I am naughty? LoL These day, I just be on my fb to read my astrology. I am kinda crazy about it. Then the rest of the time it gives me opportunity to chat with some close friends as I feel that people are no longer on their yahoo or msn. But as I get a job now. I do not think I will be on my fb often. Maybe just when I return home from work. It depends. For instance, I'll describe some "friends" from FB. Friend #1: Posts quotes from other people and links to websites all day long. Probably 10 or 15 per day. At work (never posts anything after working hours). Never answers emails, text messages, or voice mail because . . . too busy with work. Friend #2: Every status update is a bragging complaint. Like, "I have a modeling audition in a few hours and I look horrible. I have to stop hanging out with millionaires who like to party all night!" Or, "OMG I hate Delta Airlines!!! Got bumped from first class and had to sit in business like a homeless person." Friend #3: Posts about 10 new photos of themselves every day and fishes for compliments. "Don't I look so cute?" Most of the comments that follow are from their gang (who also post new photos of themselves every day) who always agrees that they look cute and pathetic losers who say things like "Can I be your boyfriend?" Friend #4: Although they've never said anything racist around you they slip up on FB whenever the chance arises. For instance, "F'ing Obama and his commie healthcare. Makes me wish we never allowed blacks to vote." None of these people *think* that they're sending out any hidden messages but everybody else can read between the lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CiaranM Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 i like and dislike FB just about equally .... it is kinda useful for keeping up to date with friends and relatives from back home and even with some friends here !!! but i don't need to know when somebody last **** .... or what u have for breakfast, lunch and dinner every ******* day !!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
English_Bob Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 I use FB every day. I write a status about once a week. I make comments - but usually just smart-arse ones designed to wind someone up. For me, I like it for event invitations - I go out a lot - and for organising my social life. It also augments (replaces) my memory for names and faces. I can check FB for the name of someone I'm sitting by on my mobile. I use it for meeting girls too... If I see a cute girl in a photo, I can check her name if she's tagged, see if she's single, got a job, if we have similar interests, mutual friends etc etc. It's a great screening tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandorea Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 My mother in-law asked me at the Christmas party in front of 20 people and they are all my in-laws.."Where do you know all of your FB's friends from?" ... She just knows where and how and when to ask question, doesn't she? I was about to tell her that's non of her business, but a little angel in me shut my mouth. I didn't reply but I told my hubby that I don't like that kind of question. My advice to you is, don't keep your mom in-law on your FB friends list. My FB friends are ppl I know and some of them I know more than 20 years. FB is a useful tool when I want to keep contact with my old friends. I won't quit it just yet, but FB never been my first priority. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chatty Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 I cant leave Facebook, and will never ever leave it, quit it. Why? Because I could miss all the movements on earth. Last week, I left my mobile phone at home, I was so worried if anyone in my contacts would call me, and no answer from me might get them worried and concern where I would be, why don’t I pick up the phone calls, was I in trouble? After work that day, I directly headed home, skipped all activity arrangement after work imagine there would have at least 5 serious missed calls! I was totally wrong and, honestly, a bit disappointed, there had only one missed call from myself called checking if I were really left it at home or just drop somewhere in my desk drawers. But when I got online check Facebook, there had 2 messages and 5 comments. See? Nowaday people don’t make the phone call anymore. They go to Facebook!! Oh.. or am I just an uncontactive person.. ? ( Nowaday, if people want to contact me, they use FB, Line and Whatsapp... not many phone call i got a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stramash Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 Facebook can cause some problems for people too. A friend's dad in England recently died. They could not get hold of his brother in Australia and had to leave messages on his answering machine. Unfortunately the guy checked his facebook before his messages and found notices of his dad's death all over his page. He was a but upset to learn this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin_2 Posted January 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 but i don't need to know when somebody last shit .... or what u have for breakfast, lunch and dinner every fucking day !!!! You're right. I can just post that here for you! I had a great shit this morning before my cup of coffee. Usually it comes after my coffee, so it has already been a very interesting morning as far as shit is concerned. I will let you know when Jasmine shits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarangFarang Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 I write a status about once a week. And if they were all like the one you made this week . . . :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
English_Bob Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 And if they were all like the one you made this week . . . :-) I had a busy two days... Just say 'No' kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarangFarang Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 I had a busy two days... Just say 'No' kids. No Kids! Ahhh, the beauties of the English language. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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