A Facebook Journey

For the past two years I’ve had my privacy settings on Facebook set to maximum. No one sees my photos, no one can comment on my wall, and if we’re not already friends, chances are you won’t be able to find me. I did this for many reasons, one of which was privacy.

I’ve lost interest in Facebook. I get no pleasure out of my News Feed. It’s spammy, uninteresting, and filled with photos and mundane comments from people I’m not really friends with. Over the past six years I’ve accumulated so many “Friends” I don’t even know who a majority of them are anymore.

I remember the golden days when it was a quality service - when I actually enjoyed spending time on it, communicating with new and old friends, and sharing photos and updates. Unfortunately, the satisfaction I used to get from Facebook is long gone.

I’m going on a mission to see if I can make Facebook meaningful again. As of yesterday, I began to back up my account with Backupify. I backed up my photos (there were some gems in there from years past) and my friends (just so I have a list to start from when I restart). I’m going to completely delete my current account and begin anew, befriending only people I am friends with in real life who I feel comfortable sharing photos, updates, and exchanges. I’ll set my privacy settings so I’ll be open amongst my real friends, but unavailable to outsiders - aka the way Facebook used to be.

I’m on a mission to see if I can make Facebook work for me again. I’d like to think it’s possible, but I’m a bit skeptical. These rather large hiccups with privacy issues are discouraging to say the least. Either way, I’m open to give it another shot before I turn it off and say good night. I’ll be documenting the whole experience. Hopefully it helps myself and others learn a bit more about The Facebook.