On Wednesday, I announced on Facebook that I was considering closing my account. It's not like I expected this to shake anybody's world. I just thought I'd open things up for comment to see if there were any compelling relationships in there that I had forgotten to appreciate and that couldn't be continued in a more meaningful way via other, more active, media such as email or even direct contact. Sure I like seeing everyone's pictures and posting my own, but does any of it actually matter. I've come to the opinion that - in MY life - it doesn't, really.
A conversation I had Thursday night with my lovely wife didn't change my attitude much. In fact, it probably reenforced it.
If you feel like reading someone a bit more articulate than myself pondering similar things, I'll point you to my "internet friend" Andre Torrez:
- In June, he posted I Give Up, which is directly related to this.
- Just today, he put up I Am Not Busy which is different but related musings about not telling people you're busy when what you really mean is you just aren't interested enough to do whatever it is they are suggesting you do.
Basically, it comes down to the idea of curating (a word that has pretty much been destroyed by hipsters with Tumblr blogs) my life a bit more strictly.
Grant Blakeman, who isn't even really an "internet friend" but to whom I've actually spoken in person, first hit me with the phrase "curating your life actively" at TEDxBoulder in 2010. It's something that has stuck with me for a while, even though I've ended up taking an exactly opposite approach in recent times when it comes to things like "social media" inputs.
I think it might be time to loop back and trim the fat a bit.