For a long time I have been struggling with my Facebook account, much like I have been struggling with my Myspace account before, trying to figure out if it actually adds value to my life and if I am only keeping it because everyone else uses it.
Being on Facebook since roughly around 2006 and carrying some 3 profiles at one time, I came to realize that nothing really good came out of Facebook with the exception of being able to stream page updates much like twitter, but with more detail and able to like or comment right away. Besides that, nothing good or of value really came from Facebook. I have gotten to the point where I hid (almost) all my "friends" status updates, particularly because they posted things I couldn't care less about and just seemed to spam my News Feed with their noise. So after I began hiding status updates, I notice that my news feed has drastically slowed down, and I began going on Facebook less and less. I also started looking for twitter or RSS alternatives to the pages I was following.
What about all of the other features that Facebook offers? Like chat? Rarely used because I didn't like being bothered when i'm on Facebook, and their chatting application is horrible. Status updating? I have learned a while ago to not post my whole life on Facebook, twitter, or my blog, because nothing good comes out of it (you liked what I had for dinner? YAY!). I missed having my privacy anyway, which is why I deleted a lot of my twitter posts too. Games? I don't think I need to mention that again. Events? Meh, I would rather find events I want to go to instead of being bombarded with events I don't care about.
So why did I reactivate my account after I deactivated it a while ago? One reason, and the reason it makes me so sick. Facebook is so intertwined with a lot of websites now and days that it has become the primary method of contact, log in, or commenting. It has gotten its foot wedged deep in the door of the internet much more than Myspace ever had. Though, I have been reading reports about falling usage in English speaking countries, and I have seen about 6 people deactivate their accounts in the past month. I wouldn't be surprised if Facebook has already passed its peak. But why did I stay on? There were a few people that I didn't want to lose that connection with. In this case, that would be DJs and people I have met online. I even tried to get more into Facebook by using the app for my phone and link other sites to my account, but that just became more of a sore than a good experience.
So what is next? Google+? I doubt it. I mean I have an account, but I really don't care much for it, as it is all the same thing as Facebook, and i'm tired of it all. I prefer the one-on-one interaction with people or group interactions instead of watching status updates about people's lives. While I do see "social networks" like Facebook, Myspace, and Google+ being around in the future, a part of me feels that this social networking fad has peaked a long time ago, and will begin declining, at least in what social networking is today as we know it. As for twitter and LinkedIn, they are a breed of their own.
So with that, I finally deleted my Facebook page. Not deactivating, but deleted. Time to get that part of my life back.