A Month Without Mark: Goodbye, Facebook

I wasn’t planning on holding myself to any New Year’s resolutions this year, but when my husband suggested that we attempt to stay off Facebook for a month I was in. Between ads, upon ads, upon ads, getting worked up about family members with terrible political views and the algorithm, I was always one of those people who complained about wanting to banish the app from my existence but never went through with it.

Why did I even use Facebook anymore? It didn’t bring me joy, I saw the same posts from the same handful people each day, but I couldn’t let it go.

Part of it was probably the dopamine hit. I mean, the site is designed to be addicting. Our little lizard brains love seeing how many notifications we can get between each use, that little red number taunts our subconscious mind until we take just one more peek. Then of course there’s the mindless scrolling that had become far too engrained in my daily routine to want to give it up.

Barring some cute pet pictures, life updates and local events, for me, Facebook was kind of garbage. All this to say, I was ready to find out how long I could stay away from the Zuck.

How It’s Going

You’ve probably heard the saying that it takes 21 days to form a habit. Well, today marks the 21st day since I said, “see ya,” to Mark and honestly, I haven’t looked back. I’m not sure what changed this time around, but I think part of it was having Jake to keep me accountable. I didn’t want to be the one to cave and check my Facebook feed before he did, so I guess my competitive edge kept/is keeping me sharp.

Results

So, how do I feel? Honestly, I don’t feel incredibly different. Maybe I would notice some life changing results if I ousted social media entirely, but I still spend a healthy amount of time scrolling through Twitter and Reddit each day. However, one interesting thing that I have noticed since deleting Facebook are the times that I find myself reaching for it. For example, if I feel a twang of boredom the urge to scroll presents itself. Or, if I feel kind of sad or crappy for whatever reason my brain thinks Facebook could be the cure.

What’s Next?

Now begs the question, should I log in to see what I missed throughout the month? Part of me wants to. After all, I need to do my due diligence as a friend and “like” people’s baby pictures and status updates, but another part of me wants to stay away permanently.

Of course, another interesting aspect of this experiment, if you want to call it that, is seeing how many notifications I’ve wracked up over the course of 21 days. Jake and I have this theory that Facebook strives to give you a new notification every time you log on (because our lizard brains love being rewarded) so how many might I have? And what are the quality of those notifications – ie. event reminders, Facebook page notifications, or actual posts that my friends tagged me in.

As of right now though, I’m still content staying away. But, I might check it out soon, for science.

If you’re considering taking a break from a pesky social media platform I say do it. You can always revisit it eventually, but it’s worth trying out to see if it improves your day-to-day life and mental clarity.