March 15, 2011, 12:00 am, is a moment that will live in Facebook infamy as the exact moment that I, Allison Lantero, Facebook stalker and enthusiast, deactivated for Lent. For days, my friends e-mailed me asking where my page went, why they couldn’t tag me in pictures, and saying they missed my status updates. Truthfully, it’s been kind of nice living without the social medium. Facebook took up way more of my free time than it should. Whenever I had even 5-minutes to spare, I would log on. It’s made me late for class and has kept me up way past the time I planned to go to sleep. Without Facebook, I won’t be tagged in any hideous pictures, invited to fifty unnecessary events, or asked to play “Farmville 3.0: The Cows Escape.”
Right now, this Facebook expert is enjoying the break. However, there are some major changes I have had to make:
1. Email – I know, our inboxes are full as it is, but it’s a nice surprise it to send and receive e-mails with a personal touch. Whenever I find a video or link I think my friends would like, I attach it to an email. I think it’s a nice break from the monotony of professor emails and Groupons. This goes for texting as well. In fact, just yesterday my Uncle texted me asking if I want to meet up for dinner since he’s going to be in Boston. It was an unexpected and surprising text!
2. Asking for phone numbers – I have a problem that I never think to ask for someone’s number. When I meet new people, I just assume I can find them on Facebook. Since I’m no longer a part of the social network, I have resorted to actually getting people’s numbers. Now I have a way of contacting people when they’re not in front of a computer!
3. Events – This was actually what I was most worried about when giving up FB. Every show/speaker/party I go to seems to begin as a Facebook invite. I thought my life outside class would become mundane, but it’s actually been the opposite. I’ve learned to ask people what their plans are and if they know of anything interesting happening on campus. Even though I have to remember to add these events to my Google calendar, it’s more interesting when someone tells me about things in person instead of just getting a Facebook invite.
I’ll admit that every once in a while I come up with a status I want to post or have five minutes to spare and nothing to do. It’s also hard not being able to look at my friends’ photos from their adventures abroad. However, I can still update my roommates on my status, spend those five minutes checking the weather or reading a news article, and I’ve convinced some of my friends to start photo blogs. So yes, it can be a struggle, and it’s only been a little over a week. But so far, life without Facebook is pretty refreshing.