To Facebook or Not to Facebook

In this article we look at the many reasons to deactivate your Facebook account. Today it seems everyone has a Facebook account. In fact not having a Facebook account is akin to being a social pariah. It seems that if you do not wish to document your life on social media there must be something wrong with you. 21^st century existentialist joke:

“If something happened and you didn’t put it on Facebook, did it really happen?”

Putting aside jokes, it is true many feel that having no social media account is comparable with having no friends. This perspective does not take into account the many ways in which Facebook can damage our lives instead of enhancing it and the many reasons to deactivate your Facebook account.

Seven Reasons to Deactivate your Facebook Account

To demonstrate:

• Seeking work: This proves one of the first compelling reasons to deactivate your Facebook account. A recent survey showed that 90% of recruiters used applicants Facebook profiles as part of their screening process. From this survey it was also found that 69% of applicants were rejected based on the content viewed by recruiters. Whilst you may be unaware of the subjective negatives which your account sends to potential employers. Not having a Facebook account can be viewed with equal scepticism. One extreme conclusion which recruiters have come to for applicants not having a Facebook is that they are a psychopath.

• Compulsion: Without realising it, Facebook can be habit forming.  One study claims that it is possible to become addicted to social networking websites. However unlike smoking or alcohol, the negative impacts of the addiction are for the most part unnoticeable. Seth Fiegerman, Business Reporter at Mashable, compares it to a credit card. Tempting and encouraging you to spend time which you may not have. Simply put, it is easier to avoid the platform early on than realise the resources lost later on. For many this could be high on the list of reasons to deactivate your Facebook.

• Privacy: In the cyber age, privacy is hard enough as it is. However Facebook’s ever changing privacy policy should provide sufficient reason for deactivating your account. Facebook offers all your likes and dislikes as viewable through their graph search. The feature is readily available to anyone capable of accessing a search bar. Also Facebook makes your personal details and information available to marketers. These marketers are then able to use this information, for their own agendas without your knowledge or consent. While it may seem you can delete content and pictures, this is not the case. Online content is immortal and remains even when deleted. If you do not have a Facebook account, your thoughts pictures and details remain private. Hmm, this is one of our favourite reasons to deactivate your Facebook account.

• Applying to further education: Just like applying for a job. Many further education establishments use your Facebook details as part of their vetting process.

• Exam Time: Facebook encourages procrastination. Deleting your Facebook account during crucial periods such as exam season, can discourage slacking through endless Facebook scrawling.

• Facebook lowers self esteem: A study conducted showed that Facebook directly affected self esteem. Many people, women especially, left Facebook feeling self conscious about body image. More than half of the studies 600 participants after looking at others online albums left wishing they had the same body image. The study also said that younger users were more likely to suffer from eating disorders. Due to the pressure they felt to conform to a particular body image. Other studies showed Facebook use promoted narcissism, aggressive behaviour and sleeping disorder in younger users. So for some people, health might be one of a few good reasons to deactivate your Facebook account.

• Envy: It is proven Facebook produces envy. No surprise here really. The majority of users promote good things and forget bad things when posting. Presenting an unbalanced view of their lives. Continually reading about others achievements and success can leave a sour taste. It can also lead to comparing your life to the achievements of others. Facebook envy has been proven to cause gossip. In extreme cases degenerating to cyber bullying.