I’m trying to remember a time before Facebook. Before stalking pictures of ex-boyfriends and obsessing over who’s wearing Louboutins there had to be something else I did with my free time. I will admit I’ve always been someone who likes to know things. When I say, “know things,” I mean, know everything. In my pre-facebook life, I liked to fill myself with knowledge on various topics. There were the normal things, like food (my main obsession in life), books, traveling and fashion; all the things you can find in the Sunday Times. My curiosities then led to cupcakes, weather, skincare products, perfume, etc. I was basically a very normal person interested in all the different facets of life. But, when did I feel the need to know about the lives of people I don’t even know?
It starts with a click. Click on your best friend. Click on her tagged pictures. Click on a specific picture and it shows you the album. Click on the album. All of a sudden, even though my friend is tagged in the picture I’m wondering, whose album is this? Who is this girl? Who is she friends with? Nice Chanel bag. Where did she go to college? Oh, she’s younger. Who is she dating? WHY?!?!?? Whyyy do I care? I know I shouldn’t, I know this girl is completely irrelevant in my life, but for some reason her life interests me. And that is how it all begins.
The obsession with one person spreads to an obsession of many, most of whom I don’t even know. So this is where it ends. Today, January 1st, 2010 is my first day free from “the book.” It’s liberating and frightening all at once, this disconnect from the lives of millions. I find myself asking the most asinine questions. For example, will people forget about me? How will I know who’s dating who? Who is attending my best friend’s birthday party this weekend? Will anyone know I was on vacation all week if I can't post pictures? Trust me, I know these questions are shallow and absurd but you’d be naive to believe I’m the only person who thinks about these things.
What will I do with my new found free time (which I have plenty of to begin with due to my current state of unemployment)? I’ll read, I’ll write, I’ll bake, I’ll eat, and maybe just maybe I'll get a job! Let’s be clear, I will miss facebook immensely and I’m sure there will be days I crave knowing about people's lives that mean nothing to me, but I’ll be sure to write about it. Any thought relating to facebook will be documented here. So, good luck to me. Shouldn’t be so hard right? We’ll see about that…
