Facebook has always been a social media for everyone. It help creating this “online friends” where you can make friends even with strangers you never met. As a person who have been using Facebook since 2009, the early days of Facebook were good, really good, because the trend were people sharing what they’re doing. There wasn’t any algorithm around and it was sorted by relevancy or date.
Few years after Facebook implemented algorithm with recommendation and suggestion towards the users based on user behaviour, preferences, clicks, things have changed ALOT. With features like sharing post, videos, likes, dislikes and together with the advancement of smartphone, social media in general have gotten a lot worst.
People on social media start sharing nonsenses such as fake news, or how badly or good their life are. There are people with insecurities felt down just by looking at someone “Good Life” post. And other issues like cyber-bullying, social media politics that will never ends. Social media have created people to show their true self without a second thought of others.
How thing’s went out of control
I was a loyal Facebook user for nearly a decade. It was two years ago, I started suspending my account but I still came back to check out what is going on with my friends. Things hasn’t change. I suspend my account and not long after, I came back. And it last year where I decided to delete my Facebook account, then I need to waited 1 month for it to be permanently removed my account (including all my information, post, everything will be completely removed) and it was the best decision of my life.
It was rosey at first of using Facebook. We simply share informations and about our life. And me, wanted to make friends, simply add some strangers to my friend list. When I finally got the presence online, people start adding me on Facebook and I simply accept the invitation. It’s when having too many people that things goes out of control.
How it’s affecting on me
It has made me a person who like to share my opinions online but it also made me feel insecure of what people may have thought about me. I also has this feeling of comparing my life with others, then I started to be depressed for no apparent reason. I also hated the way I look.
One post or comment from someone can turn my life around. And causes this feeling that affects my productivity and my lifestyles. I wanted to delete my Facebook account but I couldn’t because I was still doing a part-time studies and the class have their own Facebook group to update anything that was going on.
Self debating and doubt
With these out of the way, I started removing my “friends” from my friend list one by one. But because it were too many where I began deleting my account. I started off doing temporary deactivate my account. But many time I came back because of the addiction. It was hard to get away from Facebook. It felt like I was missing out on something.
After months of self-debating, I began to question myself; why am I like this? Why do I care so much with these strangers or “friends” over the internet? They don’t asked me how am I doing, they don’t know what’s going on with me. Why do I like adding friends, adding my colleague as friends when we don’t consider ourselves one? It took awhile for me to realised (Yes I’m dumb) that they have their own life and I should push my life to them. This realisation where I come to conclusion to permanently delete my account.
Where am I right now?
After almost a year after deleting my Facebook account, do I feel regret? No, I have no regret. In fact, my life has become a lot better and I was able to get focus on what is important with my life. Though some habit from addiction still lingers, it wasn’t as bad where it affects my life. I do have Instagram account since it is less toxic than Facebook but thats about it.
