Hey,

I just want to let you know that I’ve been off Facebook for a month, and I haven’t had any desire to get back on it. It’s liberating. Here are some aspects of my life that have become much better without Facebook.

• I feel more connected to people. It’s ironic since Facebook is supposed to help you connect to your friends, but I feel that connections on Facebook are superficial because they are too convenient. Now, people I interact with are people who really want to interact with me. They would go out of their way to get my number or to send me an email. And I do the same to people I want to connect with.

• I no longer assume that I know what’s going on in someone’s life just because I have them in my newsfeed. Now, I meet and talk to people I care about in person.

• I save myself so many of the “what’s up” conversations. Because texts and emails are not as casual as Facebook messages, conversations I have often serve some purpose other than just relieving boredom.

• I stalk people a lot less. I can’t stop stalking people entirely, because I just can’t. If there is someone I really want to stalk, I would ask my roommate to find their Facebook for me. Because of the inconvenience, I do it so much less. I probably stalked 2 people in the last month.

• When I was on Facebook, I used to get random invites to events that I have no idea if the hosts really want me to go, or if they just want more people to RSVP to their events. Now, if someone wants me to go to their party, they send me a text.

There are of course regrettable things without Facebook. One of my good friends came to SF and wanted to have lunch with me, but by the time she could get a hold of me, she was already gone. But I think it’s just the transitional inconveniences. I hope that eventually my friends will be used to contacting me without the help of Facebook.