That one time I quit Facebook for a week
THERE have been studies that came out in the past detailing how using Facebook too much can lead to depression, especially among teens. But some eight years ago, even without me knowing about these “studies,” I started becoming more and more depressed as I spent longer periods of time Facebooking.
So one fateful day in 2010, I decided to go cold turkey on Facebook and hibernate. I called it: “FBernation” and it ran for a week. Recently, as I was looking for my past articles online, I stumbled upon my old blog and reread my experience. Below is an excerpt of what I experienced when I stopped using the platform. Please note that this was written some eight years ago, so bear with me:
shall be hibernating from my Facebook account for seven straight days.
What Virginia? Is that a gasp I hear?
Here’s the thing, Virginia: I arrived at this decision the other day after I broke my previous record on my Facebook time. On Monday, I logged on to my Facebook account for 12 straight hours. I’m not kidding.
Being online for half a day for Facebook is destructive.
Because, let’s be honest, what else can you do on Facebook after checking up on other people’s status messages, updating your own status, and stalking a crush of two years? That, by the way, took me just 1.5 hours. So, for the remaining 10 hours or so, I’ve been doing nothing but browse through all my photo albums, reread all comments, relieve all my wall posts since January, befriend strangers to see the rest of their “private” photos, and then unfriend the basterds. Oh yeah, I did that thrice for 10 hours.
It’s sick, I know, but that’s JOSEPH HOLANDES UBALDE
shop with their laptops on and barely talking to each other? And how do you feel about that annoying person who keeps using Facebook to shove it up your face that she’s having the greatest adventure of her life one status message after the other? Facebragging? Now that’s another blog entry.
To cut the long story short, I’m outta Facebook for a week. That’s it, then let’s see.
Don’t get me wrong. I still like my Facebook and I don’t hate it.