I love Facebook. Except I’m getting sick of it, so I’m taking a break.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to back away in the way I want to. I need some help staying off Facebook for the first little while, a little outsourced discipline and time to break the habit (I have Facebook open in another tab right now, as I write a post about leaving Facebook, because I have a problem). But short of fully deactivating my account, which I don’t want to do, there’s not really any way to make it more difficult for myself to log in. I’ve removed the app from my mobile devices, and deleted the shortcut from my browser.
But how do you make it hard to log into a service that’s meant to be always available, always connecting? Well, you ask family. In 24 hours I’ll be sending my log in info to my sister @mittenstrings. She will change my password and not give me the new one for a couple of weeks or months, depending.
This is not “making my sister responsible”. She is not the kind of person who would refuse to give me the new password if I wanted it, which is exactly what will stop me from asking her (also, y’know, the whole point of this effort is to get off Facebook, right, so why would I ask). It’s just that she is someone I trust not to do anything with my log in information, seeing as she recently ditched Facebook herself. She is providing the mechanism, not the motivation.
A few points:
I’m staying on Twitter, and my Facebook will remain active and repeating stuff from Twitter. I prefer my interactions and my digital self within the Twitter space. Brevity is a productive constraint for me.
I will continue the art project as it exists in my own digital space, a very Web 1.0 approach.
I don’t hate people on Facebook, but I do hate the way I am on Facebook, sometimes.
I do have issues with what some people choose to share on Facebook, but not first-degree content. I love to read what my friends are doing, thinking, living, taking pictures of. I love their thoughts on the articles they share. I have no time for idly Liked and Shared content similar to the following:
- What stupid genre element are you?
- You’re doing __________ all wrong.
- Images with words or quotes on them.
- Content from reactionary, right wing, conspiracy sites offered as facts or news.
And the worst part of all this? I’ve done it myself. And I really don’t like that I have.
So I’m stepping back, and today’s art is a post about how and why I’m doing that. Even though writing about quitting Facebook is a solid Facebook trope itself already, here we are.
You can find me here, or my email simon@stillwellgray.ca or on Twitter @stillwellgray and @iscotchdotca.
With apologies to Colin & Sarah – the watch got a little roughed up when I fell on it.
