Hey there my close family and friends!

I have decided to unplug from all social networks, such as FB, yahoo email and cell phone. This experience will not only help my current relationships grow stronger but it will make one heck of a paper to write about for my school. So if you want to get a hold of me for the next 90 days (May 1st) You can call my home number which is xxx-xxx-xxxx, stop by my house or send me a letter (which I would love!, even if it is just to tell me how crazy I am)

I love all of you and I hope I hear from most, if not all of you in these next 90 days!

Love you!

when i saw the above message in my facebook message box i was taken aback.

no facebook? no cell phone? no twitter? argh!!!!!!!!!

deactivating a facebook account means that you effectively disappear from facebook.  but you can reactivate the account at any time.  maybe you just want a break.  maybe you want to focus your efforts on real relationships.  maybe you want to get some work done.  facebook will send you a manipulative message asking if you really want to deactivate your account because everybody will miss you, but hey, it’s your choice. . . .

people cannot find you on facebook and your skin and hair turns ghostly white. you don't have eyes or a nose or a mouth. and you have a cowlick. it's spooky!

my son and his girlfriend both deactivated their account when they broke up so that their mutual friends could not gossip on facebook about them.  two weeks later, both were back on facebook.  facebook reactivation gives you back all your information, profile pics, the messages, the status updates unchanged.  deleting an account is a little more dire–then you disappear and if you decide you want to go back to facebook, you have to start all over.  facebook claims it retains all account information for fourteen days, kind of a cooling off period in case you reconsider.

i’m going to be very interested in what happens to my friend and whether she returns to facebook before may one.  there has been considerable dissatisfaction with facebook’s changing privacy standards and format, but facebook’s growth in terms of users suggests that any trend towards deletion of accounts isn’t happening.  which makes me wonder. . .