Facebook is vengeful!!!

Okay, I've been trying to get onto my Facebook account for the past couple of hours. It keeps telling me that my account is temporarily unavailable due to site maintenance. I have succeeded logging on a couple of times, but every time I was on fbook it was slow, said I had no posts on my wall, and no friends. Is this my punishment? . . . I think I've deeply angered Facebook by denying it for five days.

Analysis

The past five days without Facebook have been very interesting. This time has made me realize how much Facebook affects my life and how I connect with people. I was used to this constant connection with my friends, since I was basically staring at their lives on the screen. It was strange to feel outside of the social "society" online. It made me a little anxious.I felt like I couldn't share what was going on in my life as easily or as fast as I would have been able to on Facebook. It would be too time consuming to call people to let them know what I was up to, and to find out how they are (isn't that terrible?). We are all so busy that we're using Facebook to fit our need for fast and global communication. Facebook does present the technology to communicate differently, but it seems that we have really shaped the social networking site into something a lot more important than keeping in touch with old friends.

The site lets us communicate with people all over the world in a quick and convenient manner. Members can join groups, become a fan of something, and can organize events on Facebook. We can not only communicate with each other, we can also relate to one another. We can see how we are all similar and unique.

Facebook has become a large part of my identity. When I look at my profile, I see my friends, family members, classmates - most of the people who have contributed to who I am today. I get to share ideas and creative works with friends, and in turn, my friends share their knowledge with me.

Facebook has also affected how I view the world. I can experience, relate t0, and communicate with different cultures through Facebook. I don't feel isolated from the rest of the world, because the global community is connected through the internet.

I think that this experiment was definitely worth it, and I'm proud to admit that I did not cheat. I haven't been connected to Facebook in any way since Thursday morning. Honestly, I learned how dependent and attached I am to Facebook. This experiment has taught me that there needs to be a balance between real life and virtual life. Connecting with people is very important, but sometimes we get too obsessed.

No Pressure

Only 4 more hours to go, but I'm honestly not feeling very tempted to go on it at the moment. I think this is a very good thing since I have to study for two quizzes and a midterm. It's kind of nice not to have that pressure to know what's going on with my friends every 5 minutes. Before, I was a little anxious without it, but there are more important things to do than being on fbook. Now I don't feel as nervous not knowing the latest updates on people's statuses, because I have more time to focus on my own life instead of spending every moment focussing on theirs.

Coming to an end

Even though it's the last day of the experiment, I don't feel a HUGE need to go onto Facebook right now. I think the past couple of days have conditioned me to be without it, and at the moment I don't feel completely attached to it (like I used to). I've definitely learned that life goes on without it. I still feel disconnected without fbook, but maybe being away from the site every now and then isn't a bad thing. Many people are on it constantly (I used to be one of them) and I've seen that it can start to be habitual. There needs to be a balance. Sometimes we have to take a break from technology, otherwise we seem to get addicted to it.

Starting to miss it :(

So, I found out that facebook isn't the only way that I procrastinate lol. I still haven't done half of the things I listed in my last post (but it's still pretty early . . . I'll get it done). Anyway, I'm doing okay without facebook. I am starting to miss connecting with my friends and sharing my experiences with them. Even though this little experiment isn't over yet, I can say that I've realized how much fbook has an affect on my life. Being without it so far has been a very interesting experience, but I am looking forward to logging back on.

No Facebook = Efficiency

So on this miserable, rainy day, I decided to get my homework done. I usually need a break every once in a while, and during that time I would always go on Facebook. Then, while I was on fbook, I would always get distracted and my half-hour break would turn into two hours of useless web searching and going through hundreds of my friends' photos.

Since I can't go on fbook today, I feel like I'm going to get a lot more done. I've already re-read some stories and essays for my midterm this week, and I am completing my Educational Psychology reading. Not to mention, with all of this extra time I will be able to start my research papers, get my work for Tuesday done, have some family time, and finally finish the baby blanket I've been working on for four months.

I feel very efficient today. Fbook is just another tool used for procrastination sometimes. Maybe this experiment will teach me to have some discipline.

Who Are You Online?

Could you "delete" yourself?

I was talking to my friend about my experience without Facebook, and she said that I was "brave" for doing it, because she never could. She then told me that she could never delete her myspace or fbook page because it's part of her life.

I understand why she could never delete it and I'm contemplating if I would ever delete mine. Our personal page has become part of our identity. When we look at the screen we see ourselves, our friends, and our entire lives. Deleting my fbook would be like deleting part of myself.

I always thought that parasocial relationships were interesting, but now with fbook I feel like I'm having a different relationship with myself. There's who I am in reality and then there's who I am (or perceived to be) on fbook. When I look at my page, I'm looking straight at the online version of myself. I can step back and objectively or subjectively view who this person (me) is. It's weird that my life has been uploaded onto the internet and to a certain extent, I don't feel like it's just mine anymore. My life is open to everyone that knows me, and yes while people would really have to talk/hang out with me in order to really get to know me, I feel like fbook gives an overview of who I am and that people will use it to decide who I am, instead of coming to me.

On fbook, people may try to determine who I am by looking at how many friends I have, my pictures, my so called favorites, and what my friends post. It's uncomfortable to think that I actually have to go on fbook to monitor my "life" online and to control this perceived "reality" of who I am.

Some Privacy Please

Tonight I called my best friend to see what's going on with her, instead of looking at facebook. Unfortunately, I got her voice mail, but I've realized how much I miss having a phone conversation with someone and actually hearing that person's voice. Yes, fbook is quick and easy, but it's not very intimate especially when everyone else can read and comment on just about everything.

I actually had a problem with a friend who would comment on most of the posts my friends had left me. It was intrusive, especially since that comment was for me and no one else would understand the context of what was written. Words can be so easily misinterpreted on fbook. Not that his has caused a huge problem for me, but I know people who have dealt with fbook arguments. Phone conversations are much more private and what's said during those conversations is between me and the other person. That's our time and no one else's.

My Global Day of Inaction

Yesterday, I received an email from the One Organization (which I'm a part of) stating that it was the Global Day of Action to stand up against extreme poverty. The email proceeded to say that us members, can put "I’m Standing Up against poverty today with one. Please post this as your status and join me." as their facebook and twitter statuses.

Now, I know that this is not a huge form of action, but this is a way of informing other people that there is a lot of poverty and we need to do something about it. One is an organization that allows its members to pressure government leaders to act and aid global poverty. It's a way of mobilizing like-minded people and it shows that we're trying to make some sort of impact (and these days, the web is a great place to go for that).

I was upset that I couldn't join in with other members to inform people about One. I felt like I wasn't part of the team and couldn't play my small role in this virtual "protest."

Taking a Break

I actually got to sleep in this morning, which was very nice, and after I woke up I checked all my emails and this blog. Even though I am going through my morning routine, I thought that it was nice to not be worrying about answering a whole bunch of people's comments on fbook. I had time to myself (and time to be lazy), instead of rushing to get in touch with everyone. I actually enjoyed feeling a bit separated from my friends this morning, because I got to relax. But, we'll see how long this feeling lasts.

How I feel about media deprivation:

Look Everyone! . . . Oh wait, nevermind

Today I babysat my friend Ange's 11-year-old daughter and we decided to bake a giant cake that's shaped like a cupcake. Although our attempt to do this was a complete failure (because the cake just fell apart and we smothered icing all over it, making the cake one big, sugary blob, otherwise known as a heart attack on a plate), we had a ton of fun. We took so many pictures to remember this experience. I was naturally thinking, "I can't wait to post these on Facebook, so Ange and my friends can see what a mess we made!" But then I remembered that I can't until Tuesday. I hate feeling like I can't share with everyone.

I'm so used to being able to post pictures and my status updates. Fbook is somewhat like a global therapy group where people can share what's on their mind (although, I'm not saying that everyone should. Some people should probably keep certain things to themselves). Even though I am blogging, which is helping me communicate my experience without fbook, I'm not reaching the rest of my friends and a global society at the moment. I can't contact all of my friends who I work with on a creative level, be it as a writer, a musician, or an editor. I find myself feeling somewhat suppressed, and as a poet and a journalist, I do not like it.

Who's to blame: Technology versus Modern Society

I've realized that I don't even have numbers and emails for many of the people I'm friends with on Facebook. Fbook is the only thing I have to contact them, because, well just about everyone has one now and that's the only application we need to be connected. I do text my friends, but fbook is much faster when trying to find out what's going on with everyone. It's strange to think about how I now view picking up the phone and actually speaking to someone as being inconvenient, as opposed to just going on fbook and quickly telling them something.

My friends do the same exact thing. We're all in college and have research papers, art projects, science labs, and a ton of reading to complete. None of us have the time to get into an hour long conversation, so we use fbook to say what we need to say quickly. So, is fbook really changing how we communicate, or are we changing the technology to fit our needs?

Changing the routine

Every morning when I wake up, I go straight to my computer to check all of my emails, and of course facebook, then I go and eat breakfast. I can't start my day without this routine. After I checked my email today, I really had to fight my urge to log on to fbook. It felt so strange not to go through all of the status updates on my homepage. I felt like I was missing something.

Fbook has become part of my routine (which I can be very OCD about). It's hard to change my habits, especially one like fbook because it has become a part of my life and my connection with so many people. This has got me wondering how anyone can get off of their social networking site after it becomes such an integral part of their behavior.

The Facebook Song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSnXE2791yg

So to make up for the time I would normally spend on fbook, I've been youtubbing. I subsequently found this video. Enjoy the Facebook Song!

Missing Out

Okay, it's been almost 24 hours and I'm already struggling with Facebook withdrawal. I tried to make myself feel a little better by thinking that I can connect with people using my blog . . . but then I realized I have no direct way to tell ALL of my friends that I even have a blog now. Then I figured that I could use my phone, but it would be way too time consuming to tell everyone. So at the moment, I am completely without any knowledge of my friends' lives and what they're up to, and they have no clue what's going on with me.

I have to admit, that I'm feeling a bit anxious. I'm the kind of person that needs to know what's going on at all times, and fbook was always the quickest and easiest way to get information. Now I feel like their might be something going on in one of my friends' lives, and I'm completely missing out. I know it's only been a day, but I already feel like an outsider because I can't relate to or comment on my friends' experiences. I know I'm going to have a lot of catching up to do when this little experiment is over.

Facebook Status: Cassie DeMario has vanished from the face of the earth

Yesterday, I updated my fbook status to let everyone know that I was giving it up for a couple of days so people wouldn't think that I was ignoring their comments while doing this experiment. I think it's a little weird that we all think someone might be being rude or that something is wrong if another person doesn't comment back immediately. People do have lives outside of fbook and we don't always have the time to check our pages every five minutes. However, not having a virtual presence can be construed as not having a social life at all. Today it seems that if you're not online, you don't exist.

DAY 1: OFF TO A GOOD START

From Thursday to Monday, I will be giving up Facebook for my class' Media Deprivation project because I am truly addicted to it, and I think it will be an interesting experience without it. So far, I feel a little weird without my morning Facebook fix of the day, but I'm not itching to log on and check the status of my friends' lives. . . . yet. It's strange not being in touch with friends and family members constantly. Not being able to see my friends' faces who are far away at college will definitely be hard. But for now, I am officially disconnected.