As if you didn’t have reason enough to defect..

Hey, minors! Your parents are stalking you on Facebook:

http://www.zonealarm.com/security/en-us/zonealarm-socialguard-facebook-parental-control.htm

…It’s just because they care.

Social Emotion: Are you aware of it? (via malexander12)

Real people use social media! There is life on that planet!

Social Emotion Most of the world is hell bent on communicating now through social media channels. Question: Do You Have A Social Media Filter? Having spent a lot of time monitoring and designing social media campaigns I have come to the realization that there is something more in the words a person posts on their twitter feed or facebook. This thing I am calling Social Emotion and it is as real as any emotion we have as humans. When I use to get … Read More

via malexander12

I de-activated my Facebook… now what?

Ever have that ah-ha moment when you realize that maybe allowing everyone you kind of know access to your most personal thoughts and feelings might not be the most healthy thing?

Lemme guess, you brushed it off and went on to update your status. That’s what I did the first hundred times I got into an all-out political showdown with a stranger on a friend’s thread. Or what about the time I accidentally offended my future cousins-in-law with a comment about candlesticks?

Do you know how many times I wanted to make my status: “Eff you all. I don’t care what you think about what I think” ?

Today I essentially did just that. I de-activated my Facebook account.

I did it at a really great time, too… I’m going through some drama, and now trolls can’t be stalking to see if I change my picture to one in which my face is covered entirely by my hair. I only wish I had the stones to make my picture just my middle finger…

I did another shocking thing today. I spoke to several people who actually care about me. I did it on the phone. Remember that mouthpiece part of the phone? It’s invisible now, but it used to be used for talking. As in, with your face.

One such friend recently de-activated her account as well. She just experienced an unspeakable tragedy, having gone through something no parent should ever have to go through.

How could she not de-activate her Facebook, knowing acquaintances would be checking up on her devastation?

There are some things that belong in private, like grief.

Facebook has created an environment in which it is uncool to express anything real.

Etiquette dictates that we may state that we’ve had a hard day, but we must not express that certain people make our day easier than others. We may announce that we are expecting, but we must not post pictures of ourselves breastfeeding (because Facebook has deemed that activity “obscene.”)

We must be pleased (or at least content) with all of our “friends” at all times. There is no “dislike” button.

When in doubt, we must post links to funny pictures. Everyone likes those.

I’m done with this infotainment and faux-nication. I want my real life back.

Now what do I do with these extra 95 minutes a day?