I finally bid adieu to my personal page on Facebook. It’s been a long, slow goodbye for me…seven years is a long time to be tethered to a social media outlet. It’s been mostly a positive place, but in recent years I’ve felt more and more negative, and it’s worn on me. Out of the hundreds of “friends” I have, there are approximately 20% that I truly KNOW or want to keep in touch with. I interact with the friends + family I care for the most via text, email, and good old fashioned snail mail. Not to mention, my current need for simplicity is far reaching…from something as seemingly silly as white paint in my home, to pairing down my social media outlets. As a blogger, I’m overloaded, and need to devote my attention to what brings me the most return, both personally and professionally. I’m devoted to instagram, twitter and pinterest, as my efforts there come back to me twofold. For now, my business page will remain, but I’m debating whether to remove that as well…my following really seems to be elsewhere. I’m thankful for the memory making + keeping Facebook has provided over the years, but my memories live elsewhere now. It feels bizarre to say goodbye, and yet oh so freeing.
Have you considered leaving, or left already? Please share your thoughts.
I hear more people talk about this all the time Susan. As an expat, my personal page has been one of the best ways for me to stay in touch with school friends from back home. My blog page on the other hand is something I’m considering leaving behind. Its not easy to post material on there when I’m on the go and then most of the time, it really restricts the amount of people who can see the post. Couldn’t agree with you more – the return I get from instagram, twitter and pinterest are significantly higher!
I can understand it helping you keep in touch with friends across the pond…my French family used FB a lot to stay in touch. However, we also communicate elsewhere, so it’s not absolutely necessary. I may also delete my blog page, as yes, organic reach is nearly impossible now. Thank you for your thoughts Jess!
I’ve considered both options – ditching the blog and the personal pages. Given the whole new algorithm thing with FB and fan pages, it hardly seems worth it to hold on to those pages. You only reach, like what, 2% of those following unless you start to really pony up the $$$? As far as a marketing tool, I think a personal FB page works better now than a fan page. But FB has never really grabbed me. It’s always been at the bottom of my social media pile. I don’t visit it everyday by any means and sometimes it does seem to highlight the superficial engagement I have with my “friends.” There’s definitely a universal social media itch that seems to be happening these days. Particularly with Facebook. Whether I’m ready to scratch is undetermined. But kudos to you for knowing that leaving with the best way to give yourself some relief!
p.s. – I sooooo get you on the simplicity/white paint thing!
xo UB :)
Hey B! Yes, the FB algorithms are insane, preventing organic reach + not making much sense for those of us not wanting to pay for a “boost”. Highlighting the superficial…YES. Huge reason for my departure. Thanks for your visit + thoughts! xo
Hi Susan! I have been following you for a little over 6 months now and I love everything you write. During this time, I have also gotten rid of Facebook…actually it’s been about a year now. I have honestly never felt better. It started to give me anxiety from the overload of negative and complaints. And like you, I had about 50% that were my actual friends. I wanted the more similar life, more organic and more face to face time with the people I care most about. My 4 best friends have also gotten rid of Facebook and we have not looked back! It feels weird at first because you feel a connection has been broken, but I promise it makes life so much more enjoyable when you can actually spend the moments you read or see on Facebook, in actual person.
P.S.) Snail mail is my favorite form of communication anymore. :)
Hi Taylor, thank you for your comment! Knowing you enjoy what I write makes my day, how sweet. I’m glad to hear you’re happy without it…so far I’m loving it! Even though I’m on other social media, FB just felt so much more draining than the others. How cool your friends joined you in leaving – one of my best friends also left at the same time and it helps soften the blow. ;)
p.s. snail mail will always be my favorite too ;)
I’ve been reading your blog for a while now! You’ve been very inspiring. I just love your prose. I’ve been feeling similarly about FB for a while . . . this post, among others, is building my courage to embrace change as well. After all, change is good, despite the fear it brings. Please please please do an update on this topic after about a month or so??? I’d love to see how moving on from FB is going for you. :) xo, Camille
Hi Camille, thanks so much for your comment + kind words! Yes change can be scary, but so far I feel great, not missing it at all. I will absolutely share an update after a bit! xx
Hi Susan! I hope you’ve enjoyed your vacation… it looks and sounds lovely!
I know what you mean and how you feel. I’ve been finding myself less and less on facebook. I deleted the app from my phone and ipad and don’t miss it on there at all. I’m usually continents away from a handful of friends and it’s a nice quick glance to see what my friends are up to, but honestly, it’s about a lot more than those quick glances, isn’t it? I’ve wasted so much of my time on there and I hope I won’t get back in the routine of wasting much more time on there in the future. Life’s about so much more than posting things on a website and counting the likes. Right… I could go on and on, haha!
I hope you’re well!!
thanks Eva…just returned! totally true…life is so much more, and I’m not missing it at all!
great to see you here, thank you for your thoughts!
I can’t wait to see the blog post about your vaca!
Sorry I was gone forever, but it’s nice to be back :)
I left Facebook a few years ago and I’ve never looked back. For me, Facebook began when I was a freshman in college and I used it in it’s purest form. Because of that I had the unfortunate experience of watching it morph into the thing it is (or was when I decided to leave) today.
I left because it caused trouble and just in general made me angry, it was just so exhausting. It brought out sides of my “friends” that made me really sick and added this weird pressure to my social life I just was not comfortable with. It almost felt like a really needy plant, or pet that needed my attention all the time and careful maintenance or it could cause issues in my life.
It was funny when I left the uproar it caused. I received so many text messages from actual real friends in panics thinking I had de-friended them and that I was angry with them for some reason… unreal.
One other thought- it makes me so sad to think that about kids growing up not knowing a life before it. I honestly don’t know if I could of survived middle and high school with a Facebook account. Maybe that means kids these days have thicker skin then me. Who knows. All-in-all, good for you for making the decision to step away and not feeling like a slave to it!
thank you for your thoughts Andrea…and I totally agree with the “needy plant” analogy! so crazy what it brings out in people, absolutely. I also get very sad to think of kids not knowing life before FB, and there is NO WAY I would have survived middle/high school with it, yikes…it was bad enough without it! still very happy to be FB FREE.