It’s been over a week now and honestly, I don’t miss Facebook in the least bit. It sort of feels like I’m out of the loop because I’m not entirely sure who’s excited for the new “Glee” episode or who’s not very excited for an upcoming exam but it’s a sacrifice I’ve decided I can live with. I’ve lost the impulse to update statuses or other useless information that no one will really care about enough to do anything more than “Like” it. So, here’s a couple fun facts that Facebook is missing out about my life. I went home for the weekend. I watched Fight Club (favorite movie, for sure.) I had many quotes that were status worthy from that movie, but you know how that goes. I saw a bear in the woods above my house. Surprisingly, the bear wasn’t too upset about the deletion of my Facebook. He’s got the right idea. I had a long drive back to Morgantown and suprise, surprise, I (like many other students) am very excited for the upcoming week of classes. Psyche!

Anyway, life without Facebook is considerably a more fulfilling life. Get it straight, Mr. Zuckerberg, I’m not trying to be a catalyst to the fall of the Facebook empire. It’s just simply some food for thought.

To be honest, I’ve lost count of the days that I’ve been “Facebook-less.” During the first couple days, I still had the impulse to take any witty or clever things that came up in conversation and turn them into statuses but Facebook has been quite far from my mind for a while. The impulse to create statuses, check photos and “creep” has left my immediate sense and I’m pretty excited about it. The things I’ve talked about previously (knowing people by their statuses, spending countless hours on Facebook, etc.) are no longer occuring. My productivity has gone through the roof and I have a lot more free time to spend on things that actually matter.

I’ve noticed something that Facebook has achieved that I never thought an internet site could actually accomplish. We all know that relationships aren’t official until they’re “Facebook official” but Facebook could be the one catalyst to the downfall of relationships the world over. Granted, some couples are trusting, caring, blah blah and Facebook doesn’t affect them but give it one sketchy status or some unburied past and things will hit the fan. I’ve seen many strong, healthy relationships go through the Facebook phase and come to an end. Kudos to those couples that are not affected by Facebook. I just find it absolutely absurd that a relationship can affect a connection between people so strongly. I mean, it’s just a website. Let’s get serious. It’s just another example of the online social network overpowering the personal connection between two people. Touche, Facebook. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dr. Phil were to start a section of his show- “Facebook Relationships Gone Wrong.” Well, that title sounds more fitting for Jerry Springer but you get the idea.

I was thinking about what to share with everyone today and I decided to cover the bases that I should have covered from the very beginning. If you’re an avid reader of this blog, first of all, I thank you. Secondly, I admire your ability to care about a guy’s story whenever this guy remains as anonymous as Waldo.

My name is Jake Potts. I’m a freshman at West Virginia University studying Journalism. I may be switching to English rather soon (I like the idea of teaching) but I haven’t made up my mind. Anyway, I’m from the boondocks. My hometown in New Martinsville, West Virginia (about an hour west of here given you drive quite illegally) and it is located right on the Ohio River. I graduated from Magnolia High School in 2010.

My first interactions with Facebook were caused by a girl I was seeing in my high school days. She had moved on to college and one of the ways we could “experience the great memories together” was via Facebook. Well, it certainly helps if you actually know how to use the site. Anyway, time passed and I got better at the site and I became addicted to it. I would post pictures, statuses, the whole 9 yards. I am, however, proud to say that I have never taken part in the Farmville phenomenon. Thank you, thank you.

Throughout Senior year, Facebook was the place to be. Interaction with other people happened through the website and I was pretty shocked when I started getting friend requests from teachers, friends’ parents, even my own mother (who I had to accept, of course.) I had become accustomed to turning to it for social interaction by the time I made the transition to college.

I met people in my classes and around campus that I simply remembered their names to “Facebook” later. Friends were made, well Facebook friends. I’m not sure if that actually counts. Anyway, my roommate and I would spend hours on Facebook, looking at people’s walls, photos and whatever else we could find. We would watch, posing as entertained spectators as drama would erupt and fights would lash out via keyboards. This wasn’t the college life I had dreamed of so I decided to make a change. The memories I had made throughout the first semester were with other people, not on Facebook chat.

So that’s my story. To sum it up, I got a Facebook, used it, became addicted, realized they wouldn’t have me on that show Intervention and deleted it. Crazy stuff, eh?

Well, the days are passing and it’s getting noticeably easier to keep myself from wanting to check Facebook. On yesterday’s blog, a post mentioned an alternative experiment that emphasizes the positive aspects of Facebook and simply eliminates my habits of using the negative aspects. I appreciate the suggestion but the reasoning behind this deletion of Facebook is a “reconditioning” of sorts. I’ve come to depend on Facebook for almost all of my human interaction which I became embarrassed about. Rather than being able to meet new people, face to face, I would search for them on Facebook from the privacy of my dorm room.

This type of interaction is the problem I want to emphasize for today. You know, the world is full of people we’ve never met. There are 6.8 billion people out there. Call me crazy but I don’t think a website can cover all of those. Granted, it’ll try its little heart out but in more cases than not, your best bet for becoming introduced with a new person are in the real world, not through the keyboard.

With that being said, I want you guys to try your own experiment. Rather than trying to make connections through your keyboard or through your phone, put those things away. Forget the friend search, use your eyes. Find someone who you can obviously see has something in common with you- either you both workout, or you’re in the same class or maybe you’re both stuck on a broken down PRT. Anyway, just give it a go. The only downside of this “social network” is it’s a little more awkward when your friend request is denied.

Until tomorrow,

Jake

Well, today is day of two being freed of the awful beast known as Facebook. Not a lot is different other than I find myself having a lot of free time on my hands. My homework assignments have been finished in advance, and I even studied (a little bit) for a quiz. It’s definitely a good feeling.

One of the major things that concerned me as far as my obsession with Facebook went was my inability to know people for who they truly are rather than recognizing them for their latest status. I’d look at the infamous “Wall” and read the same things again and again, and I can almost bet you out there with the same Facebook addiction know the feeling I’m describing.

After an hour, two hours, three months (maybe months is a bit extreme) of reading the same material, you meet a person in the street and their status is the first thing to register in your mind. Well, guess what? That person’s status isn’t the building blocks of their personality.

Take a minute. Talk to them. See if the line from “Wayne’s World” actually depicts their mood or if there’s more there to find out out. Just like the old saying goes, “You can’t judge a Facebook (member) by their status  cover.

Well, it’s something like that.