It has been a week since I said goodbye to Facebook. I deactivated my account and have not looked back since. I backed up my data, removed all of the connected apps and services which used Facebook to log in. One other last thing before I closed the door was to make a long random password that was a pain to type. This will stop me from logging in randomly. It took five days to notice that I was not there anymore, and only my wife picked up on it. I have left messenger active for the time being, but if nothing comes in over that in the next couple of weeks I will fully delete the account.
Twitter Diet
At the same time I deleted the Twitter app off of my phone. I spent a great deal of time just scrolling through information, sometimes actually reading linked content. I rarely post anymore, because who knows if any of my contacts will see it. I miss the days of a chronological timeline that was not filtered. I have the app still installed on my iPad, so if I do want to check my feed I have to grab that out of my bag. I rediscovered the lists feature, at some point I made a list of the people that I actually know IRL. It makes keeping up with them a bit more tolerable.
A thought experiment
Something needed to fill the void on my home screen. I relocated a mindfulness app called buddhify to the space formally occupied by Twitter. The experiment: When I am distracted and would normally check my phone, I will do a short guided meditation. So far I have done 2 guided meditations. The simple act of moving buddhify in place of Twitter made me more present. I was using my phone as a distraction and not doing something more worthwhile. Productivity at work is up and I feel more creative.