Confessions

I have something to admit.

I gave up Facebook this year.

I converted my profile into a "fan page," which is entirely public, but only engages me in a one-way conversation with the Facebook community. I can post and reply to people's comments on my wall, but I can't go to someone else's profile and like, view, or post. I am thinking of it as a press device; its my way to update the internet, as a whole, of my professional life. Everything is filtered through me and everything posted is something I feel comfortable with everyone reading. There are no privacy filters, no untagging pictures. My Facebook life, for once, is completely transparent.

My father believes in the "Washington Post" rule: Don't put anything on the internet that you wouldn't want to see on the front page of the Washington Post. How embarrassing would it be to have drunken college pictures on the front page? Passive-agressive status updates?


My main reasoning was this: I found myself getting jealous of other people. It seemed wrong and unproductive to spend time each day "checking up" on people without actually communicating with them. If I went out for an audition and knew the other people there, I'd check out their profiles and see if there was a hint of them being cast. Not to mention past boyfriends and relationships: Facebook is the ultimate stalking device to see if someone has moved on or not. Often times I'd see something as simple as a picture, and invent a whole story in my head. I'd find myself stewing over hints found in wall posts or pictures, communications that had nothing to do with me, yet were available for my viewing.

"Why is that person working and I'm not?" "Who is this girl in this picture with him?" "What classes are they taking now?" "Are they happy?"

Completely unproductive.

In many ways, Facebook is a great social device. When there is big news in the theater community, such as the recent death of one of my teachers, Facebook would be a great way to get information quickly. Since I'm no longer "friends" with our mutual acquaintances, I was in the dark with no way to find out exactly what happened. I couldn't see anyone's statuses or send them a message. I've lost touch with some people along the way because they can no longer post on my wall.

And to that I say: its worth more to cut the negative energy and mis-used time from my life. No longer being on Facebook, I can't "check up" on people from my past, or feel tempted to post cryptic status updates when I want attention. If I truly want to communicate with someone, I have to do it the semi-old fashioned way: call them or send them an email. I also think its a great filter of relationships. If someone wants to tell me something, they'll have to do it a little more personally, and they'll have to try a little harder than clicking on my profile.