7 Reasons I Decided To Quit Facebook

I recently decided to quit Facebook and take my life to the next level.

Yep. I’ve gone all-out hippie. I’m staying off the grid. I’d chosen to not let social media control my life. I’ve declared that technology is the Devil and we should all unplug.

My decision has nothing to do with time, distractions, productivity, and the other usual stuff. My reasons are more emotional than practical.

1. I was getting pissed with myself.

I was actually getting pissed off whenever I noticed that I was caught in another boredom cycle. That’s when I logged in to check for a “little” update because I was bored, then get distracted by some link or video, get bored by that, then go back to scrolling the feed randomly for more updates. By then, precious minutes would have passed and I wouldn’t have been anymore entertained. It irked me to know that I kept falling into this trap. I felt controlled. I felt like a loser who couldn’t do something more meaningful such as reading the damn books I borrowed from the library. So I knew I had to quit cold turkey. I wanted to get out of the cycle.

2. My feed was turning into a stream of rotten consciousness.

I actually wrote that in my last post when I announced I was leaving. Nothing on Facebook could entertain me, much less inspire me. What I got instead was nothing but shares of bad news, clickbait-y headlines, and gory videos of accidents. It disturbed me. One look at any of them and my day would be ruined. I didn’t want my mood to be dampened anymore by some random share.

3. I saw the worst in my friends.

I remember so many friends posting passive-aggressive status updates of them being pissed off with somebody. It never made much sense, but there was so much anger and hate in their words. A friend commented on some video of a kid looking “retarded” and having “Down syndrome.” I was shocked to know that some of my friends would stoop to that level of using derogatory and sensitive terms. Nobody is perfect, but I decided I didn’t want to view my friends in their social-media shell where they thought they can get away with spewing forth hate and bullshit.

4. I wanted to be more brave.

I write at my own blog and I used to fear immensely that I’d be given flak whenever I shared a blog post. I was also sensitive to comments about my writing. Every time I clicked “share,” I felt a sense of dread and started doubting myself and my dreams. It was such an awful dilemma to know that I clearly needed to get over this to realize my potential, yet I couldn’t. I made up so many excuses as I toned down on my writing style, threw aside article ideas I really wanted to write about, and held back way too much. The folly was mine. I chucked Facebook aside to be the blind messenger. It’s way more comfortable now, and blind as I may be, I like to think of myself as a quiet killer instead.

5. I had to manage my anger.

Straight up, I have anger issues. I’ve never gotten into a fight before and long story short, years of walking away and doing the “right thing” all the time has made me into an insecure guy who feels his wrongdoers have gotten away with it. Hence I keep thinking I need to kick a lot of ass to fill a void. What has this got to do with Facebook? My anger, along with many unpleasant memories, have been triggered many times because somebody shared a video of a drunk fight at the bar or “crazy sluts pulling each other’s hair out.” Even a video of a Muay Thai expert kicking down a tree can get to me. They say that a toxic environment makes or breaks your well-being. Facebook was an environment I knew I had to dump.

6. It’s an extension of my introversion.

I have many friends, but I can be a real introvert sometimes. I’ve questioned many times the way my friends think or say things in their little groups. I also choose to forgo many gatherings to stay home instead. I grow, learn, and evolve best when I’m alone. So I thought to myself, “Why not just go all out and disconnect even further?” And I went for it. The rewards may not be tangible and substantial yet, but this is a new journey for me. I know it’s going to rock.

7. I thought it was cool to do.

I have a sixteen-year old niece who doesn’t use Facebook much. She says it’s a waste of time. I was shocked to know that someone younger than me knew there was more to life already. Plus she’s in the Gen-W (or Z; I don’t know) generation! If my niece could do it, so could I. I’m all for lifestyle experiments and trying new things out. I like to think that I dare to do things most people wouldn’t. And that’s cool.