Yep.  I’ve done it before and I did it again and I could care less.  What do I miss about the little blue square “f” in my “Social” iPhone folder? Not much, to be brutally honest.  Here is what is missing from my life now that I can’t simply tap my app: nothing.  Not one dang thing, y’all.

After opening Facebook and seeing suicide articles posted in my feed for seemingly days it was a fairly easy decision.  I started thinking about what my life was like before that little blue “f” on my phone existed.  Better.  That’s what it was like.  I talked to people.  I didn’t have a button that let me see EVERYTHING.  Guess what?  I don’t want to see everything.  I need to not see everything.  What I need to see is my work when I’m at work, my family when I’m at home, my friends when we’re having dinner, shopping, or going to a movie.  I need to do things I love: cooking dinner for my family, playing with my kids, watching my child hitting his first baseball off a tee then chasing the ball instead of running like mad to first base (true story… feel free to chuckle at that mental image), binge watching ridiculous things like old seasons of Survivor (thanks a lot grad school Roomie) and NOT compare it to someone else’s version.

When suicide becomes almost commonplace it’s time to reevaluate.  Reevaluate technology usage and what media you surround yourself with.  No, I did not delete my Facebook account.  Why?  Because I do think when used in the right way it is a useful tool to share your experiences with your close friends and connect with those that aren’t close enough or are too busy to connect with regularly.  Hear me, though: no one’s life is what their Facebook displays.  Life is not filtered to show your perfect.  There is no filter for struggling to find time to pull your weeds in your overgrown flowerbeds, prepare healthy meals, and always have laundered and neatly folded clothes when you work, are rearing two adorable little men, trying to be a supportive, caring wife, and are workin’ on your fitness (holla, Fergie!  Yes… I know no one says “holla” anymore, but I still do…).  What you are viewing is fake.  As fake as Tyra Banks’s weave on America’s Got Talent every week (don’t lie and say you haven’t seen it… I’m sure you’re reading this on Facebook, ironically, so I’m sure you’ve seen America’s Got Talent clips this week).  Social media is a constant comparison game that will leave you feeling less than a perfect human being, which is what social media portrays.  Delete it?  No, but not having an app that I can simply press mindlessly at any time?  Absolutely.

Thanks for a useful tool, Mark Zuckerberg, but desensitized, comparative, filtered view of reality fell to its death as your little “f” icon app shook in fear as it was deleted.