Life A.F.

I was, up until two and a half weeks ago, a well-known Facebook enthusiast. This is a nicer way of saying that I Facebooked excessively. You can ask anyone that was on a my Friends list (because I probably left wall posts for each and every one of them) and they will tell you the same sad story - Lauren Edwards was tireless in her Facebook use. I messaged everyone on their birthday, regardless of how close we were or if I had only added them to snoop through their photos. I more often than not would respond to a wall post in under 60 seconds. When people uploaded photos, I would be the first to comment (in under a minute after upload) and the one to comment most. I 'liked' things and commented on people's statuses. I joined the groups for bands that I like. I actually had 80+ Facebook photo albums.

But then, one day, I quit Facebook, cold turkey. Hard to believe, I know. But you know what? Life After Facebook (A.F.) is great. I spend a total of maybe 30 minutes online everyday now - minus work-related Internet use. I check my Twitter two or three times a day, which takes about 2 minutes. The only other stops on Lauren's Internet ride are here and Texts from Last Night. Every few days I check my Dal email.

Life without social networking is liberating. I don't know what anyone is up to, and I love it. I don't know that the boy I have unreciprocated feelings for is wooing another girl through love lyrics on her FB wall. I have no idea who is dating or engaged. I never see photos of people having a good time without me.

I'm not saying I'll never return to Facebook. I mean, when asked for my reason for "deleting" my account, I checked off the box that says "This is temporary - I'll be back." I didn't even believe I would last the week. What I am saying, for now, is that I like not knowing what people are doing. When people say they have something to tell me, I never fail to be surprised. I don't have to say, Oh I already saw that in my news feed. And I think people appreciate having at least one person in the world surprised at their exciting news.