I permanently deleted my Facebook. Here's Why.

I've been a heavy user of Facebook for over nine years. Even before I left for college in the summer of 2005, I heard about this site where you can connect with your classmates before you even set foot on your campus. As an eager college student, I signed up with the required ".edu" email address. For a long time, it was something that you checked maybe once a week. I added my photo, my current coursework and occasionally checked in on my high school friends and posted to their wall.

By the end of college, I was routinely temporarily blocking my access to the site during midterms or final exams. I was logging on more and more, and sometimes found it necessary to block my access during those crucial times. It was evolving and I remember more and more people joining. I can't remember the full timeline, but I think they were starting to open it up to high school students at that time, and it was beginning to become more populated.

After college, I began to connect with some old friends, remained in contact with college buddies I had befriended, and then they opened it up to just about everyone else. Over the last couple of years, my mom joined and is now very active on the site. Most of our family is on it now, and since announcing my plant-based diet a couple of years ago, I began to unfriend those that they were unsupportive, obnoxiuous, or just plain rude about my new lifestyle. I deleted most of my high school friends due to inactivity and losing interest in keeping up with them.

Over the last couple of months, and since I had found out I was pregnant, I began to wonder: Did I really need to keep Facebook in my life? I had deleted my college account around the time I was first engaged due to a high school friend being completely overdramatic about my delayed request that she stand in my wedding. I really didn't need the added drama so I deleted her. And then deleted my account. And then I created another one.

So why permanently delete now? Why build two separate profiles, invest a total of nine years, and then all of a sudden permanently delete?

I watched the following video, and it made me start to think. Not about how I would announce my pregnancy on Facebook to those who hadn't already found out early. Not about who I should unfriend to clean up my feed. Or even about cutting down my use (which I tried earnestly for a month and failed miserably.) No, I began to wonder what my child would think if they saw me mindlessly scrolling through my feed at any free moment.

So, I ask: When will you begin to look up?

Have you been thinking about permanently deleting your Facebook? Here how:
1. Download a copy of your photos, videos, and more before switching off.
2. Disconnect all third-party apps so you won't be auto-logged and therefore null and void your deactivation. Note: Be sure to manually click the "x" to the right of each app to remove your data.
3. Permanently delete.

Still need more convincing? Here's another video, posted in June 2014 that also caught my attention.