Time to quit Facebook?

Wikihow has an amusing new page: How to Quit Facebook.

Tongue-in-cheek? Yes. But also a necessary walkthrough. Facebook is undeniably a useful tool, with almost limitless potential for social networking — an activity that can net you friends, relationships, hobbies and careers. But Facebook is also constantly being updated with silly and addictive new time-wasters: everything from updating your status to joining new satirical groups to commenting on your friends’ photos. After you spend a day horsing around on Facebook, you may start to ask yourself some rather pointed questions about how you’re spending your time.

I still think Facebook is useful as all get-out, and unlike MySpace it’s got an attractive UI and is just plain fun to use. However, you might need a break from the site. When you do, the Wikihow page offers a few simple suggestions on how to escape your addiction.

One interesting idea that Wikihow offers is that you may have joined Facebook for a specific reason. The page suggests writing down your Facebook goals and keeping track of how much time is spent on Facebook without pursuing those goals. This is a surprising idea, since I had assumed everyone joined Facebook for the same reason I did: to see what the big deal was. And also to stalk old boyfriends.

You may have a Facebook addiction, but you should give careful thought to whether that’s a bad thing. Is this the way you keep in touch with your friends? If so, you don’t want to give it up. Also consider what you’ll replace Facebook with in your life. Does Facebook currently offer a much-needed ten-minute break from work every hour? Maybe you work from home, and without Facebook you might start playing Nintendo again on your breaks, which is almost impossible to stop once you’ve started. Or maybe that’s just a problem I have.

Even if you decide to take a Facebook vacation, don’t forget, you don’t have to go entirely cold turkey. You can always quit using Facebook and let the Facebook Observer keep you updated on what’s happening in the addictive world you left behind.

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