Earlier in the year I found a Facebook loophole. Actually it’s not really a loophole - it’s something you can do if you play around with your settings. Instead of deactivating my account, I controversially managed to delete it.
This might sound drastic but it was something I needed to do. I had had enough of social media and as a concept it was driving me a little bit insane. It wasn’t the connecting with friends bit that got to me but rather the constant buzz of noise that went with it. Adverts. Articles. Groups. Selling. A newsfeed full of stuff firing itself at me amidst the things I actually enjoyed seeing, like pictures of my friends and family.
Quite frankly, Facebook had become a way to make my brain feel cluttered and bothered. I could have deactivated my account but there is something highly addictive about this way of communicating and being that gnaws away at my intrigue. I just couldn’t help myself logging back in. With every minute or two I had to spare, instead of enjoying the moment I found myself scrolling mindlessly, consuming more and more unnecessary information.
Social media is a kind of silent noise. It doesn’t actually speak to me but it has this way of draining me and making me feel tired and exhausted. I got to the point where ‘that’s it’ was the only way. I had to delete it. I was done.
So that’s what I did. I pressed that button and with it flew away all of my contacts with the past. And all of my posts. Gone forever.
It was blissful. I didn’t miss it. I enjoyed the quiet. The not knowing. The now. And it was pretty wonderful not being tied down to a virtual lifestyle.
The downside of letting it go for a while that I didn’t think about at the time was the silent offense I caused others. Some people thought I’d deleted them and even contacted me to ask what they’d done wrong. The answer was absolutely nothing. If you were or are in my life you always will be. Fact.
In reality, in our modern world, we cannot escape the pull of this hugely important communication base. When I launched my business I knew I had to go back. And actually this time around it’s been entirely different. Facebook and Instagram have a great purpose for me now and I find it so useful to get my business vision out there into the world. It’s been nice to see my old friends (who weren’t offended by said account deletion and allowed me back - sorry again) doing so well and to reconnect. And I’m enjoying a healthy relationship with my Facebook page. I’ve learnt to use scheduling, to mute the things I don’t want to hear and to only be part of groups that have a positive impact on me and my company.
Prior to this my approach was all wrong. I was stuck in the noughties using social networking as a photo album when really it’s grown to be something much more and much greater. Now I use it to connect my business, to talk virtually and be heard. It’s a noisy world out there but thankfully our settings can help us to manage that nicely.