Do you want to hear my thoughts on Facebook? Why I left and why I’ve returned again? No, probably not. But you’re glad I’ve done something since Wicked so you’ll read on. You’re hoping there’s something entertaining in here, hoping you catch a glimpse into our usually boring lives, or that you’ll at least be able to find my newly reactivated profile on the book of faces. Well, my friends, read on.
On December 8, 2006 (Yes, I remember the date. That’s who I am.) I decided to sign off of Facebook, probably following the lead of my then-boyfriend-turned-now-husband who had done the same thing just weeks prior. I deactivated my account and never looked back. OK, I looked back, but not much. I had enough friends in real life rather than my cyber life to keep me updated on everyone and everything I needed to know. I would look at people’s profiles when I was with other friends who signed on to Facebook, but I was OK with being separated from it. In fact, I liked it. Part of why Facebook: Round 1 came to end for me is because I was tired of caring about other people. Does that sound totally heartless? Yes it really does. Forgive me, and I will explain. There were people I didn’t want to keep in touch with; I didn’t want to care what they were up to; who they were dating; where they were posing to take pictures they would later upload. Was it YOU? No, of course not. I’ve continued to talk to you since then! (And it wasn’t any one person in particular for all of you that are probably pegging it on that one specific someone.) I just felt like I cared far too much about people who weren’t a part of my life anymore. Now I haven’t explained myself well enough, and I haven’t made up for being so heartless, but I’ll try a little harder. (Meanwhile, listen to Kris Allen’s version of heartless just because it was so good.) I love that Facebook keeps you in touch with people who aren’t actively a part of your life anymore, but it’s also like an information overload on every detail of everyone’s life. I spent far too much of my own life caring about the minutiae of other people’s lives. I just needed a break. I judge no one for being a proud Facebook supporter since it’s inception. You just have more will power than I did to not live in the past.
Alright call me mean. But you know blogs make you seem colder than you really are, right?
So on to Facebook: Round 2.
Over the past 2.5 years we have had so many people ask us if we had heard about Facebook, if we were on it, and when we would be getting back on. I guess it finally hit home when Kim Allred Burch — as she’s known on Facebook.com — texted me “Your mom is on facebook and you’re not?! What is this world coming to?” I guess I couldn’t take the pressure of Kath being cooler than I am. So Ashton and I returned last Friday just in time to get our personalized usernames. And speaking of names, one of the only changes I have made to my reactivated account (because it keeps your account just as it was… friends, wall posts, messages, profile picture) was to change my last name. So as KC Wise tried to become KC Grewal — which was hard enough on it’s own in the real world — Facebook said, “Not so fast there with that unauthorized capitalization” and so I am stuck with Kc Grewal. Yes, it’s a little thing, but why can everyone else have their names capitalized correctly and I can’t? Should I blame my parents for giving me the name Katherine Candace with the intent to call me KC all along? Probably. They’re easier to get in touch with than Mark Zuckerberg. And despite my repeated attempts at capitalization correction requests, and nickname requests, I remain Kc Grewal. I had even planned to be KC Wise Grewal to make it easier for the stalkers of my past, but I thought that might get too confusing in my requests to the great Name Gurus at Facebook. They certainly do have a lot of rules.
And so I’m left feeling only about 75% satisfied with my return to Facebook. Hence, I still have not updated my profile picture or searched for any of the new friends that asked me repeatedly if I had heard of this so-called “Facebook.” I’m waiting for Facebook to do their part, and then I’ll put forth a little more effort. I have, however, learned to delete friends I couldn’t care less about — again, that’s not any of you — and hide the constant news feeds from the ones that I’m happy to be connected with, but couldn’t care less about their 27 daily status updates, which generally consist of why Obama rules and I drool.
And finally, anyone with connections over in the Name Request Department is welcome to help plead my case (or Kace if you will).