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[accountclosed15]

Facebook has probably been the best thing I have done in a long time...no more drama...no more rudeness...no more worrying about offending someone..it's awesome. I also have discovered who my true friends are. That certainly has been eye opening. How about y'all?? Facebook- yes or no???

[SomethingAnonymous]

Since I live very far from any family and have moved away from lots of friends, it's the best way to keep in touch with them I think.  I do try to keep my friends list to actual friends though, not just like people I went to high school with. I don't seem to see any drama or anything like that. I have about 100 contacts on there. If it ever became an issue like you said- drama, rudeness, etc, I'd definitely drop it.  Usually I just delete people if there is ever a big problem- which has only happened once or twice.

Disconnecting from as much electronic stuff as possible does make me feel so much better though!

[Mommel]

I got rid of my Facebook last summer and at first I had withdrawal, but eventually I figured out how to meet those needs elsewhere that FB used to fulfill. I Skype, call, or email my friends and family who live far away... the relationships that didn't stick after I left FB, I have decided I am better off without. I run a Meetup group locally for Minimalism, and I have a monthly soup night for my friends who are in town as well. I've had to remind people that I wasn't invited to some things because I don't have a FB, but I feel like if I'm really wanted at an event, someone will call me to invite me... or at least email me. Seriously, my life is SO much better since I quit Facebook.

[Mommel]

Originally Posted by SomethingAnonymous 

I do try to keep my friends list to actual friends though, not just like people I went to high school with. I don't seem to see any drama or anything like that. I have about 100 contacts on there.

Do you really have 100 friends or is it just 100 acquaintances? As I get older my definition of friendship has changed... I only consider someone a friend if I can call them/show up on their doorstep crying after midnight and I know that they will take my call/answer the door. Although, when I had a FB, more than half of my friend list was comprised of my extended enormous family, and even the family members of my close friends... so yeah, that was a long list.

[Paigekitten]

I have facebook to keep in touch with my large extended family.  I've stopped posting much lately though because I tend to start debates and get overly sucked into them.

[ziursrm]

I enjoy Facebook because my dearest friends are scattered across the globe and my in laws are in another state. It's far less time consuming for me to post pics of the kids from my phone for them to enjoy than it is to email them. I keep a tight reign on how much time I spend on there though and have committed myself to ignoring politics and other debate topics. I love to discuss controversial subjects but feel they need to be in person or by one on one direct contact. 

[Paigekitten]

I'm cutting back on my facebook usage even more now.  I culled about a hundred contacts.  I used to go through and read the feed once a day.  Lately I haven't even been doing that and it's freed up a lot more time each day then I thought it would!

[armidasawan]

I'm currently enjoying facebook quite a bit.  I'm mostly using it as a news feed for all the amazing birth story blogs that have facebook pages.  I'm 26 weeks pregnant so these stories are great to have access too.  I wish there was a way to be able to take everything else off of my news feed.

[SomethingAnonymous]

If there is anything you want off your news feed you can do it two different ways - you can go to an individual page and under where it says Friends at the top, click the "appear in newsfeed" option so it's unchecked. Also when you are on the news feed page- hover in the top right corner of a post and there should be a down arrow that appears. Click it and it gives you 3 options- to see all updates from that person or group, most updates or only the most important. How they determine how important something is, I have no idea.

[girlspn]

I lived without facebook for a couple of years, and I enjoyed it. I didn't like how much time I wasted on it! I reactivated my account just recently when my dd was around 6 months old... being a SAHM in a rural area made me somewhat lonely. I found my attitude towards it has changed-- I don't care as much to read newsfeeds, yet find it useful for staying in touch with family and some friends... 

[EuroMama]

I love it to stay in touch with family overseas. But, I hate how it sucks me in and waste hours on it when I should be doing something else.

[ziursrm]

I do Facebook almost exclusively from my phone. It keeps the time down since its more tedious through the app.

[trekkingirl]

I think that I really must not like my IRL friends because I find FB to be incredibly boring. I find so much more fulfilling in depth conversation with you ladies here on MDC even though you're complete strangers....

Now that's pretty sad!

[lotusrising]

I've deleted my fb, but I cheat. I've had a fb for my son for several years. I've used it to post pics of him and write cute things he says so that our relatives/friends who care can keep up with his growth. I still use that to check up on close friends and family who are friends with that account. But since it is technically my son's account, I'm able to keep from posting stupid status updates about myself (things better left unsaid!!) and adding lots of people who I don't even need to be keeping up with. It has simplified things a lot, but I'm still keeping in touch with those who are most important in my life.

I've found that the worst thing about fb is that when I'm friends with lots and lots of people who aren't really my friends, I start comparing myself to them. I look at people who I went to high school with and see that they have big houses in the suburbs and new cars and things like that. If I don't stay conscious about why I've chosen a life of simplicity and minimalism, I begin to want those things or think that I am failing because I don't have those things. I'd rather just not have to keep reminding myself and instead just not stay in touch with people that make me feel that way.

Also...it's just a bottomless pit that serves no real purpose!!

[honeybee80]

I deleted my FB account in March and it was SUCH a great decision for me!  I get sucked in WAY too easily and can't handle having access to that much information about people!  Amazingly enough, people still call or text me and let me know when fun things are going on, so I don't miss out on a whole lot by not being on there ;)  

[Lovesmila]

I use facebook quite a bit. I have a brilliant parenting group and also use it to keep up to date with topics I'm interested in (I subscribe to lots of feminist news pages, for instance).

On the other hand, I rarely use my phone and could quite easily live without tv.

[SomethingAnonymous]

^ I'm the same way, can live without a cell phone or TV, but Facebook realllllly makes life better/easier for me. Coordinating playdates/sports, groups where I learn about all kinds of things, keeping in touch with all our friends
 

ETA: it's funny how different all our experiences are with facebook :)

[cynthiamoon]

From a minimalist perspective, what could be better than a one-stop-shop for photos and mementos? Think of it as replacing drawers full of photo papers, scrapbooking supplies, and fancy glues. 

I have no problem with facebook, but do think it's important that what you're doing on there is valuable to you. I culled my list to only those I really want to keep in touch with, but see no need to go offline and say "Follow me back to 1990 or FU!" I only post important things and subscribe only to websites and causes I really care about. I manage my privacy settings well so I am not some TMI shitstormer.

In my age group, not being on FB is the same as not having a telephone number or a mailing address. It's often the first and final form of communication and event planning. Sometimes messages come to replace real f2f relationships, but only with people I wasn't that close to anyway. I still see the people that mean the most to me in PERSON. 

[rnra]

I got rid of Facebook about two years ago and it's fabulous.  Seriously, I've never regretted it.  And yes, I'm in the age demographic where not having Facebook is akin to not having a telephone number.  People always stop and stare when they ask me to add them on Facebook and I say that I don't have/don't want an account.  My family and close friends are scattered across the globe. Yes, I do occasionally miss out on events, life updates, photos, etc. by not being on Facebook.  However, I have much more fulfilling and close relationships with those that I keep in regular contact with.  I found that I have no desire/need to keep in contact with the 100 people I had on Facebook (not to mention those with 1000s of "friends").  I have about 15 people that I keep in regular contact with (at least 1 or 2x per month) and another 30 or so that I speak with occasionally (1 or 2x per year).  We meet for lunch, have phone calls, send emails, etc.  That's plenty for me.  I'm happy without Facebook!  I really feel like Facebook was causing me to feel depressed about my life, my circumstances, etc.  When everyone only posts the super fantastic things then it makes it harder to remember that everyone has struggles and disappointments.  

[cynthiamoon]

Good point rnra, about remembering that everyone has struggles and that it's hard to remember that when all we see are celebrations! I think I could do better about that.