Why I chose to delete my Facebook account
Sunday, September 02, 2018
A few months ago I made the decision to delete my Facebook account, and I mean FULL ON delete, not just a mere deactivation of my account. Pictures, status updates, friend requests....all of it was gone with just a click of a button and with not much of a second thought if I'm honest.
The main driver behind this decision was the Facebook controversy surrounding privacy that erupted a few months ago whereby it was reported that some of your personal details may have been made accessible to other companies.
After hearing the news I felt so violated and also I felt frustrated that I had become a victim to it all through being signed up to a social network that I didn't even use, much less did I need!
All of a sudden, Facebook was being invasive, and making me feel vulnerable - what information was out there about me that I don't know about?
The only thing that niggled me slightly before deleting my account was the loss of my photos, mainly from my university days - most of these were not backed-up and would be lost. However, I still went through with the deletion and lost all of those photos. Upon reflection, I wondered if subconsciously maybe I wanted to forget the certain times I went through?
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved being at uni but it was without a doubt an extremely stressful and sometimes lonely time for me. I struggled with the course I was doing (Mathematics), and since I chose to live at home for my second and third year (it was not far from campus at all) it was isolating at times.
I generally associated Facebook with memories of myself where I wasn't feeling my best, where I wasn't portraying the best version of myself so deleting my account felt somewhat cleansing.
And hey, worst case scenario, I know most of my friends are still on Facebook and will have the photos on their accounts anyway.
I rarely engaged with anybody on Facebook day-to-day, I really used it only to look at the memes going around and also just to be a bit nosey!
Why am I more comfortable with Instagram then?
I share a lot more on Instagram relative to Facebook with even more people than just my friends. However, I have less of an issue with this because Facebook was more one-sided, I didn't input anything on there and equally I didn't get much out of it, so I would close the app after a quick scrolling session feeling quite negative and dissatisfied, constantly comparing myself to other people.
On the flip side, when I use Instagram I have a built-up network of users that I engage with daily and I get lots out of it as I put lots in. Instagram is more current and it's more controlled. I see more of what I want to see and less of what I don't. I get more enjoyment from engaging on Instagram where there is more of a 'community' feel and everybody is sharing the love and support.
Facebook suited me at a certain point in my life but now that I've grown older, it no longer serves that purpose, and became a form of procrastination instead.
The only downside to deleting my Facebook account so far?
I have developed a bad habit of not remembering anybody's birthdays now!
Earrings - Soru Jewellery
Dress - old Topshop
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